In the End
by Saliorpluto
Summary: Haruhi finally thinks she has gotten everything in her life under control. So naturally something has to come and change this, this time in a form of a letter to a reunion that would get the Host Club back together after 10 years apart. Can Haruhi repair the damage that was caused because of the stupid decisions she made? Is there any sort of forgiveness for what she did to them...
1. Chapter 1: The Invitation

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club****

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 **Hey guys! This is my first try at a FanFiction so I hope you like it! I would love to hear what you think and constructive criticism is welcome but please don't be rude. If you don't like my story idea than don't read.**

 **Rated M just in case, for sexual themes.**

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 **Chapter One: The Invitation**

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Haruhi shivered slightly as she stepped out the door. It was crisp and chilly for a mid-June morning. The smell of rain filled the air. Haruhi looked up seeing the grey storm clouds looming above in an amount manner. "Well it's definitely going to rain today." she muttered. Though she was a little worried it would be a thunderstorm.

Stepping out she walked across the paved path in front out to the white picket fence. Just like every morning an early morning jogger passed, waving to her as she reached in the mailbox.

"Morning Akamatsu." she smiled waving as she pulled out the stack of mail and headed back inside flipping through the envelopes.

As she got to the last envelope of the stack she froze pulling out a letter and holding it up in front of her. She sighed as she leaned against the wall staring down at the fancy ivory envelope addressed with fancy gold lettering.

She didn't need to see the return address, with its matching pink beveled seal, in the top left hand corner to know where it came from. Only one place she knew that would be sending something this elegant to her.

 _Ouran Academy_ the gold letters read. Addressed to _Miss Haruhi Fujioka_ all in a majestic cursive lettering.

She felt almost reluctant as she slipped her finger under the flap and broke the seal that was holding the envelope shut. She pulled out the card, with matching ivory and gold, out. Below a much larger and more detailed school seal at the top it read:

 _Miss Haruhi Fujioka,_

 _On behalf of the Board of Directors and other administrators of Ouran Academy the reunion committee of Ouran Academy cordially invites you to the special celebration of the reunion of three accomplished graduating classes from our Academy._

 _Please join us on the evening of Friday, July twelfth for the grand banquet dinner and opening ceremony of the reunion weekend for our esteemed alumni and their families._

Included behind the invitation was an RSVP card and a simple agenda of the entire weekend they had planned for this reunion. 'An entire weekend..' she thought shaking her head, 'Damn these rich people'.

It had been ten years since she had graduated from Ouran. As she looked over the details she realized that the other two graduating classes that would be combined in this reunion were the two graduating classes before her. That meant all of them would be there…

She slid the papers back into the envelope, sliding it into her back pocket, tossing the rest of the mail into the incoming mail slot and grabbing her apron putting it on. She didn't have time for this right now. She had work to do and it's not like she could really take the time off for a whole weekend, let alone the expenses to go out for that, even if the room accommodations were taken care of.

Plus there was another reason that was stopping her. She couldn't face them, not after all these years, not when…

"Hey mom…" a small voice said.

Haruhi looked back at the boy and smiled. "Kazue." She knelt down to look into his eyes. "What is it sweetie?" She reached over brushing some crumbs off the corner of his mouth from breakfast. He was the main reason she couldn't even consider going to the reunion, seeing her old host club friends again. How could she explain the situation?

When she looked at her beautiful eight year old she couldn't help but feel conflicted herself. She didn't have the answer they all would want to know. Especially a certain three... but she had never been able to bring herself to actually find out what the truth really was.

That year after she graduated from Ouran Academy had been an interesting one with a lot of twist and turns. Her father had gotten really sick and needed her help more than ever, which put off her going to college to pursue law like her mother. During that winter she almost lost him a few times and she knew she wouldn't have made it through without the help of her friends. But that also was what had led to the situation now. She had always been so close with each of the member of the host club that even she sometimes forgot she wasn't just one of the boys and that put her in situations where things could get out of hand.

When she looked at her son her mind could never help but wander and wonder about him, about his father. She saw him push up his glasses with two fingers in the center to stop them from falling off the edge of his nose. The same way she would see him do when he was reading or studying; he was a brilliant child and she wondered if this was all the answer she needed. But then again, even at his age the boy had such talent with the piano and the way his blue eyes sparkled when was able to help others… she couldn't deny that even for a quieter and shy boy he could be quite the dramatic character at times. And then he had another more playful side. The side that had taught her to always open her dresser drawers slowly so not to be frightened by a frog jumping out or to make sure there were no lizards hiding in her shoes.

Truly Kazue was a mystery to her. But she loved every bit of him. No matter who his father was she didn't care. They had a life here that she loved. It was a simple life, they didn't have a lot of money and though she did regret that he had not had a father in his life, she wouldn't change it. That's why she couldn't go. She couldn't make Kazue go through that, not when she didn't have a straight answer for him, or them. It was too messy.

"It's raining." He said simply, holding his little blue book bag closer to his chest as he looked up at her. His dark brown hair was a mess like always and he wore an old oversized sweater to combat the chilly rainy morning.

Looking out into the empty lobby of Pension Misuzu she knew today would be fairly slow. "Alright," she said pulling her apron back off and hanging it on the hook again. "Let me grab my umbrella and I'll walk with you to your piano lesson okay?"

His face broke out into a large grin as he nodded, turning around and scrambling back down the hall to get his shoes, slipping and sliding in his socks as he turned around the corner. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Misuzu smiling at her, wearing a yellow dress and a pink frilly apron today.

"That little boy has got you wrapped around his finger doesn't he?" he commented.

Slipping her shoes on herself, she just smiled with a nod. "Yes he does." Haruhi looked back over at her boss and close friend. "I hope you don't mind me slipping out to walk with him."

"No! No! Of course not!" he flailed his arms going over before draping an arm around her in a half hug. "You're a wonderful mother, sweet Haruhi, and I appreciate all the help you always give me. Go walk with you boy!" Just then the bell at the front desk rang and Misuzu hurried off welcoming his customers in a sing song tone.

Haruhi reached up grabbing her umbrella hanging from the hook next to her coat, then decided to grab her coat as well just in case. As she finished putting it on, Kazue came rushing around the corner, nearly falling tripping over his shoelaces.

"Kazue." Haruhi caught him kneeling down in front of him again as he scooted his glasses back again "Be careful, you could have hurt yourself." Bending down she fixed his shoes, tying them properly before standing back up again and holding out her hand.

Kazue took it, walking with his mother to the door. As Haruhi opened it, pulling out her umbrella and sliding it open with a pop, Kazue looked out at the downpour of rain splashing on the sidewalk in front of them before looking up at the sky.

"Mom?"

"Humm?" Haruhi asked looking over at him as she stepped out with the umbrella in one hand and her sons in another, though he still remained standing in the doorway.

"You…you don't think it's going to be a thunderstorm do you?" he asked shyly.

"I don't know sweetie, but it will be okay." She squeezed his hand gently. "Remember what I taught you?" Kazue nodded quickly pulling out his headphones and old mp3 he had shoved in his bag. Haruhi smiled. "See, you'll be okay. And I'll be with you too okay?"

Nodding again Kazue smiled a little more comforted as he quickly stepped out, joining his mother under their umbrella as they started walking.

As Haruhi was walking back from dropping off Kazue she walked past a little old book shop in town. In the front display was the new book of a series she knew her son was really into. Stepping closer to the window she leaned over to see if the price was displayed, hoping perhaps that it was something she could afford right now for his upcoming birthday. But the price wasn't, she would have to go inside and ask. When she looked up she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the glass that made her stop.

She had changed over the past ten years. Though she hadn't really grown any taller she felt like she had really grown into more of a woman. Though part of her knew that it was due to the after effects of her pregnancy with Kazue, the other half was that she never wore boy's clothes anymore. Her hair had grown out and now fell a few inches below her shoulders, her bangs swept to one side.

Breaking away from her reflection something else behind her reflected in the window caught her attention. She turned around to see an old ice cream parlor and there stood the manager looking out at the rain with disappointment, as it was driving away all his clientele. She smiled at the memory of the first time she had tried the ice cream there.

 _"_ _I heard this place is famous for their ice cream." She had said, before holding out the cone to Hikaru, "Here, I'll let you have the first taste."_

 _Hikaru looked at it unimpressed. "If it sucks then we're playing a penalty game."_

'That day ended in weather much like this,' she thought as she heard a soft rumbling in the distance and tightened her grip on her umbrella. It wasn't the only time that Hikaru had been there with her during a storm though.

 _"_ _Dad, just get some sleep, okay?" Haruhi pleaded, holding her father's shoulder to stop him from getting up. It was affective, seeing that he was unable to fight her in his weakened condition. "I'm fine, and you need your rest to get better or you'll just get worse, okay?"_

 _He pouted. "But how can I just lay here and let my sweet Haruhi work so hard? I have to help, I'm your father, I'm supposed to be taking care of you!" He started to blubber._

 _"_ _Calm down dad." she said, standing up with a smile. "You've taken care of me for years, this isn't a big deal. And I am an adult now, okay."_

 _"_ _But my baby girl!" he exclaimed tears streaming out of his eyes very overdramatically as he tried to sit up reaching out to her._

 _She put out her hand to stop him and gave him a stern look. "Stop it dad. You need to take care of yourself, okay? How are you supposed to take care of me like you want, if you don't let yourself get better?" Her stern tone seemed to sober him up as he lied back down, to her relief, in thoughtful agreement to her wishes._

 _After refilling his water she walked back into her room and lay on her bed with a heavy sigh. That's when she heard the rumbling in the distance. With a frown she stood up, going over to the window and pulling back the curtain to see the rain coming down and the dark clouds above. The sky rumbled again before cracking in loud thunder as lightning crossed the sky. She jumped away, letting the curtains fall shut as she covered her ears._

 _Once it quieted down again her anxiety started to subside. Slowly she sat back down on her bed. It was so quiet now that when her phone went off she nearly jumped out of her skin. Fumbling to answer it, as she was, she didn't bother to look and see who was calling._

 _"_ _He-Hello?"_

 _"_ _Haruhi? Are you alright?" Hikaru asked. She could hear the sound of rain coming from the other end of the line. 'Was he walking around in this weather?' she thought. 'That seemed odd for him.'_

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah I'm fine." she replied, though she didn't sound very convincing._

 _"_ _Haruhi.." he started, but she cut him off._

 _"_ _I have to go!" She could hear rumbling in the background and knew the storm was only going to get worse. "I think my dad is calling me!" she hung up the phone as lightning flashed and thunder roared once again. With a small squeak she jumped, running over and crawling into her closet, bringing her hands to her ears as she curled up._

 _'_ _I have always hated how much I was afraid of thunderstorms.' she cursed herself inwardly, but she just couldn't help it. The sounds, the flashing lights, it all scared her so much._

 _She was so distracted trying to calm herself down that she didn't hear when Hikaru pounded on the door, or let himself into the apartment. She didn't even hear him when he came into her room. It wasn't until he slid open her closet door, kneeling down in front of her right as lightning flashed and more thunder rolled low, that she noticed him. She jumped, closing her eyes tighter, as she kept her hands over her ears._

 _Without saying another word Hikaru reached over, lifting her with ease out of the closet, and brought her over, setting her on the edge of the bed. Reaching back, he pulled off his headphones from around his neck and put them gently over her ears, turning on soft soothing music._

 _Reaching up he wiped away a few tears "Haruhi." he leaned his forehead against hers. Closing her eyes, she focused on the music, slowly letting herself calm down and her fears slip away._

 _She had been so focused that she didn't even notice when Hikaru pulled back from her slightly looking down at her. It wasn't until she felt something soft press against her lips that her thoughts shot back to reality and her eyes snapped open. Pulling back in shock she reached up to pull off the headphones. "Hikaru.."_

 _"_ _Don't," he reached up, stopping her from pulling them down as he looked into her eyes. "I don't want you to get scared again."_

 _"_ _But I..."_

 _Hikaru reached up putting his finger against her lips to quiet her before sliding his fingers across her cheek and brushing a few strands away from her face. He watched her expression carefully to see how she would react before he continued. When all she did was close her eyes he leaned forward, gently kissing her again._

 _At first she didn't kiss back, like before, but after a second she shyly returned the kiss. Hikaru gently placed his hand on her neck, reaching up and placing the other hand on her shoulder continuing this time._

 _When he finally broke away to catch his breath, Haruhi opened her eyes to look at him as he slid his hand from her shoulder up to her neck, holding her there. Before she even got a chance to speak he kissed her again. This time she could feel more behind the kiss. It was more firm and fervent._

 _Because her lips had been slightly parted to catch her breath, when he kissed her again Hikaru didn't pause at the opportunity to slip the tip of his tongue in between her lips. She felt a tingle run up her spine and her hands seemed to move on their own accord up to his chest grasping lightly onto his shirt._

 _Her response was encouragement enough to Hikaru and he let his tongue slide the rest of the way into her mouth, tasting her even more as he played with her tongue. He felt her grasp onto his shirt tighten, which caused him to smirk into the kiss slightly. Brushing his hands across her shoulders and down her arms he let his fingers slide around her waist pulling her closer until she was flush against him, her legs on either side of his waist._

 _Haruhi gasped slightly at the sudden pressure of being pushed up against him, but didn't pull away. Instead she let her arms slowly move around his neck holding herself close to him as she timidly moved her tongue against his. He moaned in response._

 _The sound of his moan sent a tingling sensation shooting through her as she felt his hands bunch up her shirt at her waist, where he was holding her. Maybe it was the fact that she could more feel the moan from him rather than hear it, or because of the headphones she still wore that her body reacted the way it did._

 _She felt a sigh escape as Hikaru opened his mouth more, the movement of his tongue increased and the intensity of the kiss grew more._

 _As suddenly as all this had started Hikaru broke away from the kiss with a gasp from both of them, but immediately she felt his lips on her neck next to her ear as he began trailing open mouth kisses down her neck. She tilted her head back as she felt it, his tongue dragging along her skin each time he moved to a new spot. Her body was starting to quiver with built up sensations as he moved along down to the collar of her shirt. He paused there for a brief moment before quickly sliding his hand to the back of her head to pull her back down into a kiss._

 _He didn't wait for permission this time before sliding his tongue between her lips running it across the roof of her mouth before spinning it around her tongue. His hand still remaining at her side, grasped onto her shirt tighter before releasing his grip and moving his hand away. Before she even had time to realize what he was doing she felt his cold fingers against the bare skin on her stomach._

 _She jumped, resulting in her pulling away from the kiss and looking down breathing heavily. Hikaru opened his eyes and started to pull his hand away worried he had done something wrong but was stopped when Haruhi grabbed his wrist then slid her hand over his to keep it where it was. She looked back up at him. Her eyes were fixed on him, those beautiful big brown eyes held no fear or uncertainty in them at this moment and that comforted him._

 _He snaked his hand up her shirt a little more and picked her up around her waist swiftly before laying her on her back on her bed. He crawled over her, his hands and legs on either side of her as he hovered over her, looking down, his red hair falling into his face. Reaching his hand in his pocket he pulled out the iPod connected to the headphones she still had on. He set it above her head so it, and the headphone cord, were out of the way as he leaned down, kissing her again._

She bit her lip at the memory but shook her head. What good did this memory do her now? It only reminded her of what she was dealing with because she was so careless. That was why she didn't have contact with any of her old friends now. She had made such a mess of things because she had been so stupid and now she couldn't go back.

Walking into the bookstore she shut her umbrella and walked over to the table with new books to look at prices. Quickly her mind was preoccupied with the present and she got on with her day forgetting about the memories, her regrets and the reunion invitation.


	2. Chapter 2: Kazue

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

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 **Chapter Two: Kazue**

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The wind blew softly carrying the scent of wet dirt and freshly cut grass a crossed Kazue as he sat under the large tree out in the school yard. Holding down the pages in his notebook to stop them from blowing around he looked up and watched the other kids running around playing.

Pushing up his glasses he looked back down continuing what he was working on. He was deep in thought and concentration when someone suddenly sat next to him, startling him. "Hey Fujioka." He smiled.

Kazue furiously erased the unintentional line he had drawn by being startled. He frowned without looking over "Arai…"

Ichiro Arai's smile just widened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You're late." was the response he received. But that didn't cause his best friends smile to falter. In fact he laughed.

Ichiro and Kazue had been best friends since they were really young, basically since Kazue could remember. Ichiro was a year older than him but they still did everything together.

"Yeah. some of the guys in class decided to pull a prank on Katayanagi Sensei. When he went outside to talk to a student they injected chocolate pudding into his chair. The look on his face," Ichiro held his stomach as he laughed "he was so mad he held the whole class back for ten minutes."

Kazue smiled to himself just slightly 'Not bad.' he thought. Though he felt he could do much better. A prank like that, though funny, really lacked and imagination. But he knew better than to try anything like that. His mother would surely ground him for a week for pulling a stunt like that on a teacher.

Ichiro put his arm around Kazue as he looked over his shoulder. "How is the project coming?"

"Great." Kazue replied as he smiled fully moving his notebook over more so they both could look at it. It was a drawing plan for a club house Kazue and Ichiro had been wanting to build for a year now. They had both been saving up their allowances and doing extra jobs to save money for it and now they had enough for the supplies they just had to finish the design.

"It's going to be so cool." Ichiro grinned and Kazue nodded excitedly in agreement.

"Your dad is still okay with us building this in your backyard still right?"

"Yeah of course."

Kazue smiled looking back down at the design. This was going to be the coolest clubhouse ever. And soon he would make it a reality.

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Haruhi stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables when she heard the front door open.

"Mom, I'm home!" Kazue called. Stepping out into the living room to find her son on the floor pulling off his shoes, his backpack and jacket all ready thrown on the floor in front of him.

"I'll pick them up." he said without having to be asked as he pulled off his shoes. He stood up grabbing his bag and and jacket, taking them to the closer to hand them up.

"How was your day?" she asked with a smile as she walked back into the kitchen to continue making dinner.

A few minutes later Kazue ran back into the kitchen, sliding on one of the mats before wrapping his arms around his mother's waste in a hug. "It was good."

Looking down at him her heart filled with joy and love for this little angel she had been blessed with. Putting the knife down she put her hand on his head running her fingers through his hair trying to straighten it out.

"I finished my design for my club house that Ichiro and I are going to build. Ichiro's dad says we can start it on Saturday."

"Is his father going to help you?"

Kazue nodded and he let go of his mom and reached over taking a small piece of a carrot from the cutting board and put it in his mouth. "I'm going to go do my homework." he mumbled with his mouth full as he ran back out of the kitchen sliding around the corner.

Haruhi sighed as she leaned back against the counter.

The older he for the harder it was for her that she didn't have a good answer for her son about his father. Especially when he had such a good example of one in his friends family. She knew it must be hard when he watched Arai with his children and then had to come home to a single, overworked and tired mother.

Turning around she finished chopping vegetables and then putting them in the pot. She took off her apron and walked back to her room sitting on her bed with her legs crossed she opened the drawer of her nightstand she pulled out an old journal opening it up. The first picture she saw was of all of them.

Tamaki sat in the middle with one leg crossed over another and one arm propped up on the arm rest. He wore a confident smile and looked very much like the King he had proclaimed himself to be in those days at the host club. Haruhi herself was sitting on the other arm on the next to Tamaki and the twins were next to her. Hikaru resting his elbow against her as he leaned on her shoulder, and Karu behind them with his arms casually around her and his twins' shoulders. Both the twins wore a mischievous grin.

Honey and Mori were on the other side of Tamaki. Honey was on Mori's back with the biggest smile he could manage as he hugged Mori's neck. And behind the chair stood Kyoya with his typical calculated smile and one hand on the back of Tamaki's chair. It seemed like so long ago yet, at the same time, like it was only yesterday. They had all been her closest friends and she would be lying if she said she didn't miss them.

Turning the page she saw another picture, this one of her and Tamaki. His arm was around her from behind and his head leaning against her. She smiled softly biting her lip.

" _Haa-ru-hii!" Tamaki called as he cantered into her apartment._

" _Tamaki-senpai, don't you ever knock?" she said sitting up from where she had just been kneeling on the floor scrubbing._

" _Awe don't be so mean!" he whined kneeling next to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind. "I just wanted to come see my cute Haruhi is that such a bad thing?" he rubbed his cheek against hers as he hugged her tight._

" _Senpai…"_

 _Tamaki pulled back pouting "Why don't you call me by just my given name? You always call me Senpai. Aren't we close?"_

 _Haruhi looked back at him. "Senpai I…"_

 _She never got the chance to finish her sentence as Tamaki sank back into the corner curling up and facing the corner moping. Haruhi sighed._

"Senpai _, stop moping in the corner. And stop tearing up paper! I just cleaned the floor."_

" _You only see me as your senpai." he said in his quiet whiney voice "I'm not special to my precious Haruhi...just a stupid senpai who you are annoyed by…"_

 _Haruhi walked over kneeling next to him and putting her hand on his back. "I'm sorry Tamaki." Tamaki looked back at her still frowning but more hopeful "I didn't mean to make you upset. You are special to me but I call you Senpai still out of respect."_

 _Tamaki's eyes lit up. Suddenly he stood up taking Haruhi in his arms spinning her around. "Yay! Haruhi!"_

" _Tamaki...I'm getting really dizzy." she warned._

 _Reluctantly he put her down still beaming. "Yay!" He exclaimed again "Haruhi thinks I'm special! Haruhi thinks I'm special!" He repeated as he jumped up and down._

 _Shaking her head Haruhi turned walking into the front room. Tamaki followed bouncing the whole way._

 _Suddenly Tamaki wrapped an arm around her from behind rubbing her head against her cheek with that big of his before he stopped and pulled back looking at her more seriously. "O a, really happy you see me that way too." his violet eyes sparkled and Haruhi couldn't help but smile as well._

 _Tamaki hugged her tighter before pulling out his phone snapping a picture._

" _I had to capture this special moment!" he spun her around again before continuing his chanting "Haruhi thinks I'm special! Haruhi thinks I'm special!"..._

Haruhi wiped under her eye with her sleeve to stop a single tear that threatened to escape. Tamaki had always been such a fool, but he had a heart as big as the ocean. She knew when she left their group, moved out to Pension Misuze, it hurt Tamaki the most. But she didn't tell them where she was moving just that she was leaving. And she hadn't seen any of them since.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Kazue climbed up next her her on the bed at the same time asking "What are you looking at mom?"

Putting her hand over her heart she looked over at him and smiled. "Goodness child you scared me." she leaned over kissing the top of his head. Kazue tilted his head as he looked at the pictures in the book. "I'm just looking through some old pictures."

"Was he your boyfriend?" he asked pointing to Tamaki. Her heart tightened as he looked back down at the picture.

How was she supposed to answer that?

It had been so complicated, but that she couldn't blame on Tamaki. Tamaki would have made it so simple, he wanted to make it so simple. But she hadn't been ready for that. She told him that she really liked him but she hadn't wanted to be exclusive yet. First it was that she was going to be starting law school, then it was her father's health. She had all sorts of excuses, but the reality was she was just scared of the commitment. Maybe if she hadn't been so spineless she might have avoided this whole situation to begin with.

"Yes." she answered, deciding that was the best answer she could have given.

She watched her son as he stared at the picture. She knew what was going through his mind. He wanted to ask if that meant that this man was his father. But he wouldn't ask, he never did anymore. He was a smart kid and after so many times of asking that question and getting indirect answers and sometimes even an emotional mother he stopped prying.

"I'm sorry." she whispered setting the journal down before she pulled him into her arms. "I love you so much you know that right."

Kazue wrapped his arms around his mother as he looked up at her. "I know mom. It's okay you don't have to be sad. I'm not mad that you don't know who my dad is."

This only brought more tears to her eyes. As she held him tighter to her. "How long have you known.."

"Mom," he said, in a very practical voice, "I'm not a little kid anymore. Whenever I asked about dad you avoid answering directly no matter how I asked. The only logical answer could be that you didn't know the answer."

Haruhi pulled back putting her hand over her mouth as tears started flowing from her eyes. She had had to accept the truth of what happened a long time ago, she had no choice. And she knew that one day she would have to explain to him what really happened and why she didn't know. But to know that her sweet little eight year old knew and had to live with the fact that his mother didn't even know who his own father was tore her heart apart.

"It's okay mom, don't cry." he reached up using the sleeves of his sweater to try and wipe away her tears. "You don't have to be sad, I'm okay."

"Isn't it supposed to be my job to comfort you." she asked forcing a smile through her tears. But Kazue just smiled.

"Families are supposed to comfort each other."

"You're right." she hugged him tighter "How did I get so lucky to have such a good boy."

"Because your a good mom."

Haruhi looked down with a large smile. Gently she fixed his lopsided glasses and ruffled his hair. Kazue made a face in protest as he pulled away to fix it but laughed.

"Dinner is probably done by now, why don't you go wash up okay?" Kazue nodded getting up and leaving the room. Haruhi took one last look at her journal and the picture before closing the book and walking back out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3: The Club House

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High school Host Club****

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 **Chapter Three: The Club House**

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As the door opened a tall brunette looked down at Haruhi and her son with a warm smile. "Fujioka, Kazue, come on in," he stepped back allowing them to enter.

"Hey, Arai." Haruhi smiled, hugging her old middle school friend. They had reconnected a few years after graduation. She had come to his wedding a few years later and they had kept in touch through email. After she had moved to Karuizawa, Arai and his wife, Eimi, had been the biggest help and support for her, aside from Misuzu. She was so grateful for everything they had done for her.

Just then Eimi walked in the room. "Haruhi! So glad you were able to come with Kazue today!"

Eimi was a beautiful women. Her long black hair was pulled back in a high bun and her dark eyes sparkled with kindness. Still holding her two year old daughter, Kaori, on her hip she came over hugging her. She had become such a close friend and Haruhi admired her greatly.

"Of course," Haruhi smiled, hugging her back. "I'm thrilled you two decided to invite me over for this."

"Of course, of course, anytime." she said waving her hand indicating it was nothing. "Come on in, relax. I'll take this and put it in the fridge 'til lunch." She took the salad from Haruhi, taking it into the kitchen.

Haruhi followed as Kazue ran out to the backyard. In the middle of the yard was piled wood and other materials that Arai had taken the boys to buy a few days earlier. Kazue immediately ran over to Ichiro and they started talking excitedly. Arai came over joining them, and Kazue pulled out his notebook.

After putting Kaori down in the sandbox with her six year old sister, Miyako, Eimi walked over, joining Haruhi.

"Let's sit down and catch up." she smiled, sitting down on the bench against the house, and Haruhi sat next to her. "So tell me, what's new?"

Haruhi sighed, looking out and watching her son as Arai helped him hammer a nail in one of the walls, securing it to the base.

"Not much. Honestly, I don't have a lot of time to have anything new in my life right now."

Eimi watched her friend with concern. "Is it because of the rumors of the visitors that are here in Karuizawa this weekend?" When Haruhi didn't answer right away she was worried she hadn't heard about it. "You have heard, haven't you? I figured that since you work at the Pension the word would have traveled to you…"

"Yes I've heard."

"And are you doing alright because of this?" She reached over, putting her hand gently on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah I'm alright. It's not like I'm going to run into them. From what I heard, the whole Ootori family is there visiting, it's not like he is going to come search me out or anything. Plus I've heard rumors that Kyoya-Senpai brought a girlfriend."

"I heard that too." Eimi said thoughtfully, "Rumors are she is an American he met while on a business trip there or something."

"Yeah that's what I heard too."

Both women looked over as Miyako started screaming and crying. Little Kaori was laughing as she continued to throw sand in her older sister's eyes. "Oh dear…" Eimi got up quickly, going over to the girls and kneeling down next to them.

'Rumors are she is an American he met while on a business trip there.' the words repeated in her mind. She was happy for Kyoya, maybe this girlfriend was someone who would be able to get him to relax a little and enjoy life. He was always so serious and uptight. But Kyoya had always been so kind hearted at the same time. …

… "I don't know why you won't just accept the offers from us to help you out so you don't have to take care of your father all on your own." Kyoya said as he leaned against the wall with his arms folded, watching her. They were in his room at one of the resorts that his families owned.

As usual this trip had started by Tamaki nagging that they all needed to get out and do something together, like old times. Despite every excuse Haruhi had given him, he had a solution for it. With the help of the others, especially Kyoya and the twins, and after him sulking in the corner looking pathetic for five minutes, Haruhi reluctantly had given in.

"I can take care of myself. I don't need charity from you guys."

Kyoya sighed, adjusting his glasses. "How many times do you have to be told that we want to help you because you are our friend, not because we feel obligated. Sometimes you're as stubborn and irrational as Tamaki."

Haruhi frowned as she sniffled. The pounding in her head was starting to subside as the medicine she had taken was starting to take effect.

"I'm not like Tamaki..."

Kyoya just smirked. "Maybe not in many ways but in some you are." He pushed off the wall, walking over to her "Haruhi, you need to take better care of yourself. Isn't that what you're always telling your father? Don't you think that you should follow your own advice? Look at you, you're sick, and instead of taking care of yourself you pushed yourself to the limit until you collapsed today."

Kyoya reached out, tucking his hand under her chin so she would look up at him. She couldn't really read the expression on his face as he just stared down at her. "Kyoya-senpai?..."

"Every once in awhile you need to allow others to help you." His voice was low and husky as he leaned forward, and in response she moved back until her back hit the bed and she looked up at him. He placed his hands on either side of her head, his dark hair fell around his face and his charcoal eyes peered down at her. "Your dedication and work ethic are very attractive, Haruhi, don't ruin that with self-destruction."

Mixed feelings ran through her as he leaned down and his lips brushed against hers. So many emotions and thoughts rushed through her mind as he leaned down once again, pressing his lips against hers, moving one hand to her neck.

Just a few days ago she had had another encounter with one of her friends that she had never considered would happen. Another situation she hadn't prepared herself for that had gotten out of hand. She knew she should stop him, tell him this wasn't a good idea, that things were getting so messy, but no matter what she thought, when she lifted her hand up, instead of pushing him away she found herself resting it on his shoulder as she returned the kiss.

Kyoya pulled away only long enough to pull off his glasses and set them on the nightstand beside them. As he leaned in for another kiss he snaked his arm around her waist, lifting her up and sliding her back completely onto the bed without breaking the kiss. He laid down, pressing their bodies up against each other.

Haruhi could feel her heart race and her senses tunnel as she felt his tongue brushed across her lips. Then he broke from the kiss and started sliding his lips along her jawline, placing kisses strategically until he reached her earlobe and gently nibbled on the end.

"You've always been wrong about one thing…" he whispered soft and slow, his warm breath tickling her neck and sending shivers down her spine. "I do have something to gain from this."

Her breath caught as his lips ran along her neck and she felt his hands brush across her shoulder, his fingers guiding down the sleeve of her shirt to expose her shoulder. His fingers gently caressed her bare shoulder, tickling her skin. …

… "You know, I think that things might not be as complicated as you think, seeing your friends again." Eimi said as she sat back down, drawing Haruhi's attention back to the present. "The way you've spoken of them, you all seemed so very close. It's probably hard on all of you to have this separation all these years. Don't you miss them?"

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi looked over, watching Kazue as he Ichiro, and Arai began to work on the roof of the clubhouse. "Yes," she admitted, "I miss them very much. They are the closest friends I've ever had. But what am I supposed to do now? After all this time, am I supposed to just walk back into their lives with a eight year old and expect everything to be okay? They don't know about what happened, and I don't know if they will forgive me if they found out. Who could blame them? I was such an idiot."

"Perhaps, but perhaps you don't give them enough credit," she said simply, with a smile, as she put her hand over Haruhi's, that lay in her lap.

"I did get an invitation for some special reunion they are holding next month, a few days ago."

"Really? You should definitely go, Haruhi."

"Go? No, I couldn't, I have work and I would have to figure out travel and what to do with Kazue during the times that I go to activities by myself. I mean they have planned a whole weekend for this."

"Doesn't your father still live down there?"

Haruhi sighed. It was true that he did, and that gave her more reason to say yes to going. She would love to see him, and she knew that it would mean a lot to him that they came to see him, since it was always him having to come to see them. And to be honest, she knew that Misuzu wouldn't hesitate at all to give her the time off either. He was very generous when it came to her schedule.

The reality was that she didn't have any good excuses to keep her from going other than the fact that she was scared. Scared of facing them, scared of what it would mean for Kazue to meet them, and mostly scared of facing the many years of repressed feelings that she had run away from, and what it would do to her.

"Haruhi, I'm not trying to push you if you really don't want to go, but I think that deep down you really do want to. You admitted it yourself, you miss them and you want them to be a part of your life again. You can't have that if you don't take the step and face your fears."

Her heart ached at just the thought. She knew Eimi was right, she missed her friends so much, but she just wasn't sure if she would be able to fix the mistakes she had made so that they could all be friends again like they used to.

* * *

Kazue sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, next to the suitcase that Haruhi was trying to pack as she was on the phone with her father. He glanced up as he heard her drop her bag of toiletries that she was carrying, a look of frustration crossing her face as she knelt down to clean it up, balancing her phone between her ear and her shoulder.

"Yes dad, the train arrives at eleven...no. It will be fine, you don't have the space for us in your little apartment, the school is already paying for the hotel room and I already booked it through them." She stood back up taking the phone in her hand again as she walked over to the suitcase and put her toiletry bag in. "Dad, I told you not to worry about it, I will be fine," she glanced down at Kazue, reaching over and taking his book from him, mouthing for him to go and finish packing, before walking back over to her closet. "Okay dad, I know, just stop worrying, okay? Me and Kazue are going to be just fine, we will see you tomorrow...Yes dad. I love you too. We are excited to see you. … Bye," she hung up, tossing her phone on her bed as she turned her attention back to her closet.

'Do I have everything I need?...' she thought to herself.

Kazue walked back in, dragging his duffel bag behind him. Haruhi rose an eyebrow in surprise and smiled. He picked up the bag, setting it on the bed next to her suitcase, before crawling back onto the bed and taking his book from her dresser, where she had put it down, and sitting back down.

"Did you get everything?" she asked, going over and unzipping the duffle bag to look through the contents. "Did you remember to pack your underwear?"

"Mom…" he looked up at her, "I am eight years old, I know how to pack my bag."

Haruhi chuckled.

"Well, apparently you don't know how to fold anything. Kazue, all of your clothes are going to get wrinkled." She started pulling everything out and placing it on the bed. "Did you get your toothbrush?" The look on his face made it obvious that he had forgotten it, as he quickly shut his book, setting it down as he scrambled out of the room, sliding around the corner.

A minute later Kazue slide back in the room, putting his toothbrush in his bag that she had just finished repacking, before climbing back to his spot and continuing to read. She smiled softly, going back over to her bag to finish her packing. As she finished putting her last clothes in, she looked down at her hands, seeing them shaking slightly. She was so nervous her heart felt almost as if it was going to beat out of her chest. Tomorrow she was going back home and she was going to see so many of her old friends again, she was terrified.


	4. Chapter 4: The Grand Opening Banquet

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High school Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Four: The Grand Opening Banquet**

* * *

Haruhi bit her lip nervously, as she looked in the mirror. Why had she let herself be convinced into thinking this was a good idea? Clearly, it was not. "Maybe I shouldn't go…" she mumbled to herself, "I am just asking to get myself wrapped up in their shenanigans, like always."

She looked herself over one more time. She had been pleasantly surprised to find she still fit into some of the clothes Kaoru and Hikaru had gotten her years ago. And she was also grateful, because otherwise she wouldn't have had anything to wear to an event like this.

Tonight she wore a pale-green, strapless dress that fit her nicely around her chest and waist, before tapering out to flow gently around her legs. A white ribbon was tied around her waist, matching the white shawl over her shoulders. Her hair lay in loose curls and she wore a white butterfly clip on one side, a gift from her father that he had insisted that she wear with the dress.

She took a deep breath before looking back at her son, who was laying on his stomach reading. She smiled softly and went over, sitting on the bed next to him. Kazue looked up at her, adjusting his glasses. "Looking good, mom." She smiled.

"Thanks." she reached over, ruffling his hair.

He frowned, moving away as he tried to fix it. She watched her boy with a soft smile. He was her whole world and she was so grateful to have him. "Are you sure you're going to be okay tonight?" she asked Kazue for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Yes mom I'll be fine. It's not like I'll be alone, grandpa will be here." He closed his book as he sat up. "Why am I staying home from this dinner anyway? Doesn't that fancy invitation say for alumni and their family?"

"Do you really want to go?" she asked surprised. But she just smiled when she saw the look on Kazue's face, as he shook his head vigorously.

"No, no, I'm good. I was just wondering."

Just then there was a knock at the door. "That's Grandpa. Go grab your backpack." she said as she stood up, answering the door.

"Haruhi!" Ranka squealed, hugging his daughter. "Look at my beautiful Haruhi! All those stinky rich boys better not get the wrong idea and try to do anything to my precious baby girl, or I'll beat them black and blue!" His face twisted into a snarl as he clutched his purse tightly as if that would be the instrument of the murder.

Haruhi laughed.

"Calm down, dad. No one is going to do anything to me."

"Grandpa!" Kazue ran over, hugging Ranka, who beamed with pride.

"Look at how big you are getting, Kazue! You're turning into quite a handsome young man, like your grandpa!"

Kauze looked up at him. "Uh, grandpa, you don't look like a man at all…" Haruhi shook her head, but Ranka just waved his hands as if this point had no effect on the previous statement.

"I've got to get going dad." Haruhi knelt down in front of Kazue, straightening his shirt and fixing his hair. "You be good for grandpa, okay?"

"I will, mom. I'm fine." He assured her. Haruhi hugged him tightly before standing back up again. She hugged her dad once again before watching them leave.

* * *

Looking over the people walking into the ballroom, Haruhi felt anxious. Taking a deep breath, she walked in slowly.

It was like walking back into another world. Everything was decorated perfectly. The room was just as she had remembered it, salmon-colored archways, large windows above balconies that looked over the ballroom. There were many large, circular tables set up with white tablecloths and rose centerpieces in the middle. And, of course, each table was set with only the finest china.

There was a live orchestra playing a soft waltz as the guests, who were already there, mingled. Haruhi's palms felt sweaty. Was it too late to back out?

"Name miss?" an attendant asked.

Haruhi looked over to see a man dressed in a blue tuxedo, similar to the school uniforms she remembered, standing there with a clipboard. "Uh, Haruhi Fujioka." she replied.

The attendant skimmed the list before checking her off. "Haruhi Fujioka, party of one?" he asked. Haruhi nodded in agreement. "Welcome, Madame Fujioka. You are placed at table eleven, over in the left corner." He pointed to the far corner of the room.

Haruhi groaned inside. She had hoped to, maybe, get a spot next to the door to make a quick escape, but as typical with her luck involving anything here, that would not be that case.

As she walked down and across the ballroom she saw a few familiar faces but no one really paid her much attention. Not until she was at about the center of the room.

"Fujioka?"

She turned back to see a tall man with long, red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Though he looked older, his shoulders a little broader, maybe even an inch taller, he hadn't changed much in the past ten years.

"Hey Kasanoda."

"Wow Fujioka, I can't believe that's really you. You look so different." He took two steps, closing the gap between them. He still looked as scary and intimidating as ever, but he smiled and took her hand to shake it very gently. "It's really great to see you again. How have you been doing?"

"I've been doing good. How about you?"

"It's been good. You know, just keeping busy with business." He smiled again. Just then someone called his name. "I better go. That's my wife. It was great seeing you again," he called as he walked away. "We will have to catch up more this weekend."

It didn't take her long to find her table after that. A sign with elegant bold lettering reading '11' was placed strategically among the roses in the centerpiece. She sat down in a seat which was facing the front. At the front of the room sat two long rectangular tables on either side of a podium. Clearly this was where the school board and VIP's would be sitting.

Haruhi was enjoying the soft music playing and the surprisingly positive atmosphere despite her anxieties. She thanked a waiter as he filled her cup with some water, and took a sip. She really did have many fond memories here. Couldn't she just enjoy those without her past sneaking up on her? After all, it was the things that happened after high school that had messed things up.

Just as she was getting comfortable and starting to relax she heard people sitting down next to her. She froze. She didn't have to look up. She knew who it was, she recognized the voice without a doubt.

"All I'm saying is they could have been a little more creative. Roses? So typical. Couldn't they think of anything else." Hikaru said as he pulled out the chair at her left.

"What's wrong with roses?" a woman with a french accent asked. She had beautiful, long, blonde hair and was wearing a stunning, red dress. No doubt the latest in fashion, provided by the Hitachiin family. "We had roses at our wedding. They are beautiful and so elegant." She looked over with starry eyes at Kaoru as he sat down between her and his twin.

'That's right' Haruhi thought. She remembered hearing about Kaoru getting married about six months ago to a model he met in paris.

"You don't need to get all lovey-dovey every second." Hikaru muttered.

Kaoru put an arm around his brother, leaning over to him. "Hikaru…" he said with a frown. "Be nice. I know you're not in a good mood because of Asumi, but that doesn't mean you need to dampen everyone's mood here." Kaoru went to pull back, but just then his eyes caught a glimpse of Haruhi and he froze.

Hikaru didn't seem to notice as he answered. "Asumi isn't why, you know that. Coming here means that maybe we might…" Kaoru cut him off by grabbing his face and turning it towards Haruhi.

Both the twins stared at her with blank expressions for a few seconds. Kaoru's face twisted into a grin, but Hikaru remained staring, dumbstruck.

"Haruhi!" Kaoru exclaimed. "You came! This is so great, we will have the whole gang back together this weekend."

Haruhi hesitated, very unsure about that. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea Kaoru…" she smiled sadly. After her mistakes she knew it would only cause drama. After seeing Hikaru's face, she knew this really had been a bad idea. They would be better off getting together without her.

"Don't be ridiculous. It will be fun." Kaoru said with a mischievous grin. The one that always made Haruhi nervous, wondering what he was up to.

"Exactly." Hikaru said, draping his arm over his younger twin's shoulder. He matched his grin, reminding her very much of the way the two had been in school. Hikaru had apparently decided to act as if he wasn't bothered and could care less that she was here, and they were seeing each other for the first time in ten years after what happened.

Just then the current Headmaster of Ouran Academy stood up at the podium.

"Welcome, honored alumni. We are so glad all of you came to join our unique, triple reunion, representing three years of graduating classes from our elite academy. Our top-notch planning committee has provided a wonderful schedule to celebrate you!" Everyone clapped as the Headmaster smiled. "Now, before we get started eating, it is my great pleasure to introduce the chairman of our illustrious academy, and recent successor as president of Suoh Enterprises, who is also an alumni taking part in this reunion himself, Tamaki Suoh."

The crowd began clapping again as Tamaki stood up. He had been sitting in a spot where the podium had until now cloaked him from Haruhi's view. As he walked over to the podium his face was professional, his stride slow and with purpose. He reached the podium and placed his hands on either side, as he looked out at the crowd, Haruhi wondered if perhaps he had changed. He seemed more calm, more mature.

"Welcome," he said, holding his arms out as he grinned, "Welcome good gentleman, and fair, beautiful ladies." His voice was theatrical as he launched into his speech about the proud history of Ouran Academy and how everyone present was a part of this glorious legacy.

Haruhi stared blankly in disbelief. "He hasn't really changed one bit…" she muttered.

"Nope," the twins replied in unison as they both leaned one elbow on the table, watching Tamaki with bored expressions and perfect synchronization.

She looked back up at Tamaki as he continued his speech. His violet eyes were as vibrant as ever. He used his hands, as usual, a lot as he spoke, running his long fingers through his blonde hair, holding his arms out or putting a hand over his heart. He put all his vigor into it as if this was the performance of his life.

* * *

Hikaru watched Haruhi out of the corner of his eye as he leaned his head on his hand listening to Tamaki's speech, unentertained.

At first he had thought that the fact that Tamaki hadn't changed would have made Haruhi look at him differently than she had before. But it didn't. She was always forward with Tamaki about what she thought of his behavior. Sometimes she thought he was a complete idiot.

But then there were other times, like now, where she would just sit and watch him. The times when she saw past his idiocy, past his melodrama and saw the good hearted and gentle man he was. For all his flaws, Tamaki was sincere in everything he did.

He frowned leaning back in his chair folding his arms. "Even after all these years, it's still the boss who can actually hold your attention, huh?"

Haruhi's cheeks blushed as she looked over. She opened her mouth to say something, but just then Tamaki's speech ended and the room erupted with applause. Hikaru just shook his head, standing up and walking out of the room. Haruhi went to stand up and go after him, but Kaoru caught her arm.

He shook his head. "Let him be. He will come back." he assured her with a smile. Haruhi looked after Hikaru with concern as he disappeared out the doors. This had been a really horrible idea.

* * *

Tamaki smiled brightly as he finished his speech and went to sit back down in his chair. 'That was the most grand speech I have ever given. I'm sure of it!' he thought proudly to himself. But what he saw just before he sat down wiped the smile off his face.

Hikaru was walking out of the room. Had he said something wrong? He wondered. But when he looked back where Hikaru had come from, to find Kaoru for answers, he saw something he wasn't expecting.

Moving to stand up as if she meant to follow Hikaru, was a beautiful brunette with her hair in curls, wearing a pale-green dress. Kaoru reached out his hand stopping her and speaking with her to make her stay.

He whispered her name softly as he sat back down, her and her table once again being blocked from his view.

"Haruhi…"


	5. Chapter 5: Secret Revealed

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High school Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Secret Revealed**

* * *

Dinner had only just barely ended when Hikaru returned to the table, walking with Takashi Morinozuka (A.K.A. Mori), Mitsukuni Haninozuka (A.K.A. Honey), and their families.

"Haru-chan!" Honey exclaimed as he skipped over, hugging her tightly. "Haru-chan! I'm so happy that you came!" Not long after graduating Honey had finally gotten a bit of a growth spurt, though he was still short, barely the same height as her. He pulled back smiling at her brightly. "You remember my wife, Hana?"

He beamed proudly as a petite brunette with curly hair to her shoulders, holding a bundled baby in her arms, came up to them. Haruhi did indeed remember her. Honey and Hana had been dating for about a year before they got married, it was the spring before she moved away and cut off contact with her friends so she had been able to actually attend the ceremony.

"Yes I do, it's nice to see you again."

Hana smiled. "You too, Haruhi."

"And these are my kids! Aren't they just the cutest!?" Honey put his arms around two young girls, ages 5 and 3. "This is Mika," he leaned his head to the side resting it on the head of the little blonde five year old who had her father's big brown eyes. "And this is my other little princess, Ruri." The little brunette with pigtail and bright blue eyes was holding than same pink bunny she remembered from high school with Honey.

"Is that Usa-chan?" Haruhi asked with a smile. Both Honey and little Ruri's eyes brighten and they smiled at the mention of the stuffed animal's name.

"Yes." Honey beamed as he stood up straight again, looking back over at his wife. "And this cute little guy is our baby boy, Sora." Hana moved the baby so he was facing them and everyone could get a better view of him. He also had his father's big beautiful brown eyes but has a head of curly brown locks from his mother. He was truly adorable. Little Sora giggled in delight at all the faces adoring him.

Out of the corner of her eye Haruhi saw Hikaru walk back, closer to his table, rejoining Kaoru and his wife, whose name she had learned was Julienne during dinner. He looked like he had calmed down and was maybe back to normal, but she was still worried about him. She needed to find a time to talk with him and apologize for everything that happened. She didn't know if it would really make a difference but she had to try. Even if she wasn't sure if this was going to work, she wanted to at least try and make all this right.

Then she looked over at Mori. Next to him was a tall and thin women with silky black hair that feel around her shoulders. On Mori's shoulders was a young boy with messy black hair and dark grey eyes, just like his father.

The women walked over, holding her hand out and shaking Haruhi's hand. "I'm Shizuko, Takashi's wife. It's so nice to met you Haruhi, Takashi has told me so much about you."

Haruhi smiled. "It's very nice to meet you too. This must be your son?" she looked back up at the boy who was pulling on his father's hair, but Mori acted as if nothing was going on.

"Yes." Mori replied, "This is Hiroyuki."

"He is adorable," Haruhi admitted, smiling up at Hiroyuki who just giggled, tugging tighter on his father's hair. It made her heart ache for her boy. She wanted to show him off, and how proud she was of the amazing boy he was. She remembered his being that age, barely waddling around the apartment. How precious it was to get to cuddle with him as they read together, how excited he was when he first discovered the piano at the Pension. He had grown so much since then...where had all the time gone?

"Haruhi," Honey came up by her side once more, "You here alone? Are you still single?"

Haruhi felt tense at that question because she knew it would lead to other questions she wasn't ready to answer. "Uh..yeah I am."

"Really?" Kaoru said in surprise.

"Aw, so you don't have any kids?" Honey asked, sounding truly disappointed. "I always thought Haruhi would have such cute babies!" He smiled deliriously, almost as if he was in his own day dream about Haruhi and her potentially cute babies.

"Well I.." she began to admit, but was cut off by someone calling her name.

She looked up to see Tamaki making his way as quickly as he could though the crowd to get to the group. He wore a large smile, running his fingers through his hair, as he came up to them. Haruhi could tell that he wanted to hug her, but he painfully resisted. Putting his hands behind his back he looked down at her.

"Haruhi, I'm so glad you came. You look absolutely beautiful tonight." Haruhi tried not to laugh. Some things really didn't ever change. Tamaki was still Tamaki. And she was surprised how much that relieved her to know.

"Thank you, Senpai. You look good too."

Tamaki beamed with pride and Haruhi had to resist rolling her eyes as she smiled. "Glad you noticed," he brought his hand up to his chin framing his face with his index finger and thumb. "I strive to share my beauty with the world!" He spun around flamboyantly, nearly smacking Kyoya, who was approaching their group. Luckily he was paying attention and moved his head back, dodging his hand.

Adjusting his glasses, he took another step, standing next to Tamaki. "Tamaki, you should be more aware of your surroundings," he said calmly, in that same tone she had become so used to in the years she had known him. He turned to her without giving Tamaki a chance to respond to his earlier comment. "I'm glad that you decided to come Haruhi."

"Thanks Kyoya-Senpai. It's nice to see you again."

It was unnerving to see just how calm Kyoya was, but then again Kyoya hardly ever acted as if anything phased him. He was much harder to read than the rest of the guys. "I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. Please continue."

"It's okay the boss was just running his mouth about his favorite subject." Hikaru said with a grin as he leaned his elbow on his brother's shoulder as he stood there with one arm around the waist of his wife.

"And what subject might that be?" Kyoya asked.

"Himself," the twins said in unison.

"I see," Kyoya said with a small smile. "In that case, what were you talking about before that?" Tamaki made some protest in the background, but Kyoya ignored it as Honey offered an answer.

"We were talking about how cute any babies Haru-chan had would be!" he said cheerfully as if this was the most normal comment in the world to make in a group of people.

"Speaking of that," Kyoya said, turning his attention back to her. Her heart stopped. Just seeing the look on his face, she knew that he knew. She shouldn't have been surprised to know this, Kyoya was known for knowing details about people's lives that people didn't expect or want him to know about. He made it his business to know such things. "I noticed you came in alone. I expected to see your son with you tonight."

The whole group stared at her, and Haruhi wanted to shrink away.

"Haru-chan has a son?" Honey exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes." Kyoya said very matter of factly, "She has an eight year old boy, name Kazue."

"Kyoya-Senpai…" Haruhi said, for the first time feeling annoyed rather than nervous. "That isn't any of your business. Who gave you the right to look into my personal life?"

'How long has he known?' she wondered. It had always irritated her how invasive he was in her personal life, but to know that for the past ten years he had known about Kazue, known that that meant that Kazue could very possible have been his son, yet he still stayed out of her life, it was low even for Kyoya. She was sure now that he obviously knew where she had been living all these years, and it irked her beyond her capacity to contain it.

"You have an eight year old son?" Tamaki asked. Unlike the rest of the group, he was oblivious to the annoyance in Haruhi's voice. He was to fixated on the revelation.

"I think I'm going to go." Haruhi said, tucking her hair behind her ear and pulling her shawl tighter around her. She moved between a bewildered Tamaki and a concerned Honey and made her way to the door.

She had barely walked out the door when someone grabbed her wrist, stopping her and spinning her to face him. Tamaki stood there, a breeze blowing through his hair as he looked down at her.

"Haruhi…"

"Let go of me Senpai." she said, pulling her wrist out of his grip. It wasn't fair to Tamaki, it hadn't been heen his fault what Kyoya did, but she was just so upset and embarrassed she could hardly think straight.

Tamaki reached out to touch her shoulder, but once again he restrained himself. "Haruhi please stay, you don't have to go." His voice was gentle and sincere as he looked down at her. His violet eyes shined brightly. "We are all so excited to see you again. Don't you think we've all missed you?"

Haruhi looked down, guilt filling her heart.

"Tamaki I can't…"

"Don't be silly." he interrupted her with his most charming smile. "Whatever happened we still care about you, Haruhi. Please don't make us worry again, like we have for the last ten years." He reached out, this time taking her hand with a plea filling his eyes.

Her hands were trembling with fear about trying to continue this weekend and the emotion at the kind and sincere words of Tamaki. Gently, Tamaki put his other hand over hers, holding her hand between his. She was desperately trying to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes and keep them from falling.

"Don't cry Haruhi." Tamaki pleaded.

She brought her free hand up, wiping a few tears that had stubbornly escaped.

"Just come back in okay?"

Haruhi nodded and Tamaki smiled brightly, squeezing her hand once before letting go as they walked back into the ballroom.

* * *

"So," Kaoru said, wanting to change the subject and break the awkward silence that had followed Haruhi's leaving and Tamaki running after her. "Where is your girlfriend Kyoya?" he smiled with a smirk.

Kyoya sighed, knowing he only brought it up because they wanted to harass him. "She is performing with the orchestra of course," he said simply.

"On the piano?" the twins grinned, draping their arms around each other. Kyoya just glared at them in annoyance. It was bad enough that he had been the one who had caused Haruhi to leave, he didn't want to deal with this tonight either. It was the same thing every time she came in conversation with them.

"Don't even start," he warned.

Of course, they didn't listen. "You know Kaoru, her and Tamaki have a lot in common."

"You're right, Hikaru. They're both pianists with a lot of talent," Kaoru smirked.

"They can both be very talkative and animated," Hikaru added.

"And they both love to make others smile!" Honey added with a bright smile, oblivious to Kyoya's look of annoyance at his added comment. "I really like Kyo-chan's girlfriend."

Kyoya watched the three, unimpressed.

"What about Kyoya's girlfriend?" Tamaki asked as he and Haruhi had returned. His goal to prevent her from from leaving clearly a success. Kyoya adjusted his glasses with a sigh.

"We are talking about how Kyo-chan's girlfriend is similar to Tama-chan!" Honey provided.

"Oh I see. Isn't she a guest pianist with the orchestra we hired for tonight, Kyoya? Is she still playing?"

Kyoya nodded and Haruhi couldn't help but notice a faint smile cross his lips. A smile of pride? It seemed he was, at least, very proud of his girlfriend for having the talent to be playing with this orchestra. He glanced over to the back, where the orchestra was located, and followed Kyoya's gaze to see if he could spot his grilfriend.

Sitting at a large black grand piano sat a woman playing beautiful accompaniment with the orchestra. She was steady and focused, and her fingers danced along the keys.

As the song ended she smiled, standing up, walking around the piano, and bowing as a few people applauded. She had light, straight brown hair that fell just passed her shoulders, part of it held back with a purple headband that matched her dress. Her dress was a puffy ball gown with cap sleeves and a rounded neckline. At her waist was a darker violet colored sash. The top half was studded with sparkling rhinestones and silver sparkles that carried over onto the top part of the skirt of her dress,as if it was raining down around her. In the lights it shone and twinkled like her smile.

She shook the hand of the conductor as the orchestra's original pianist sat down and they began another piece. Stepping down off the stage, she looked around before spotting Kyoya and smiling once again as she quickly made her way over to them.

As she reached them, Kyoya took her hand, lifting it up to his lips, kissing the back of her hand.

"That was beautiful, my dear." he said with a smile, before looking back at the rest of them. "You remember my friends, I'm sure, but you never met Haruhi," he said, gesturing to her.

Smiling, she nodded, holding out her hand for Haruhi as the two shook hands. "It's great to meet you. I've heard a lot of stories about you from Kyoya and his friends."

"This is Sydney." Kyoya said with a smile, as he introduced her. "She is a graduate of the top American music university, Juilliard." Sydney blushed lightly at his bragging as she smiled, looking up at him.

"It's nice to be able to meet you, Sydney." Haruhi said, "And you're playing just now really was beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied.

"Of course it was." Tamaki said going over and hugging Sydney, who laughed as she hugged back. "You're truly amazing at your art, princess." Kyoya got a guarded look on his face as he watched Tamaki, but he made no move to stop him.

"Your so kind, Tamaki." she smiled as Tamaki stepped back looking down at her. "Especially considering you're such a talented pianist yourself. It's so great to see you again."

Kyoya reached over, placing his hand gently on Sydney's back. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have someone I promised to speak with, so we will have to excuse ourselves."

"Right," Sydney nodded. "We will see you more this weekend though." Kyoya then led her off, the two of them whispering to each other as they did so.

* * *

Haruhi was exhausted by the time she reached her floor of the hotel. She was grateful she had gone back in, but she was still nervous about how the rest of the weekend would go. As she got closer to her room she noticed someone leaning against the wall next to her door. As she approached he looked over and stood up straighter.

"Kyoya-Senpai? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I appear to have upset you this evening because of what I said," he replied, looking down at her as she dug in her purse for her room key.

"You've been keeping tabs on me without my permission and then you just dropped that information to everyone."

"Because you didn't want Tamaki and Hikaru knowing about Kazue?"

She froze, her hand still out as she had been about to put the key in her door and go inside. Of course Kyoya knew. She had told him about the mess as she had broken down in his room after they had been together. But still, knowing that he had known about Kazue…

"How long?" she asked, turning back to face him. "How long have you known about Kazue."

Kyoya watched her quietly for a moment before answering. "A few months after he was born."

"And that's it? You just found out something like that out and you just tuck that information in your little black book and move on?"

Waiting patiently to make sure she was done, he let there be a slight pause."Firstly, Haruhi," his voice was stern but not harsh, "you were the one who left and cut us out of your life. Your actions made it pretty clear you didn't want to have us in your life and I wasn't going to intrude where I wasn't welcome. Secondly, based on your history, the probability of your son being Tamaki's is much higher than for Hikaru or I, correct?"

When Haruhi didn't object he continued.

"And lastly, you have never been very willing to accept anything from us in the past, so what about this was supposed to make me believe that this would be any different?"

Haruhi folded her arms, looking down. "You still had no right to keep tabs on me."

"Haruhi," he said, his voice softer, more like a parent trying to make their child understand why they do things that seem unfair. "How many times have I had to tell you how much you mean to all of us, that we care about you and worry about you? Do you really think I could restrain myself from checking up and making sure you're okay?"

There was a long pause as Haruhi let his words sink in. The guilt started to overwhelm her. How much had she made her friends worry?

"And about Kazue," he said, causing Haruhi to look up at him, "If you had wanted to find out who his father was, and you did find out it was me, things would have been different. If I had felt that you would have accepted it and wanted it, I would have come to you and offered you everything." He paused for a split second before continuing. "As its stands now, I cannot and will not drop everything. I love Sydney very much and would never leave her. But If you do decide in the future to find out the truth, and he does turn out to be mine, I will provide everything I can for him, that would rightfully be his as an Ootori heir. The choice to find that out though, lies with you and Kazue."

Haruhi felt so much emotion build up in her chest. She knew her decision not to find out had meant that Kazue had missed out on so many things. But the longer she had waited, the harder it became. Now it seemed worse to find out that answer after all these years.

Just then the door to her room opened and the both looked over at Kazue who stood there with his messy hair and old ratty sweater he wore as a pajama shirt.

"Mom?"

"Hey sweetie," she smiled, kneeling down to his level, trying to fix his hair. "Where's Grandpa?"

"He's sleeping," he said, rubbing his eyes and causing his glasses to sit crooked on his nose. Haruhi gently straightened them out.

"Were you staying up reading again?" His shy, guilty smile indicated she had guessed correctly. Kazue then looked up at Kyoya curiously.

"Good evening, young man." Kyoya smiled. "I'm Kyoya Ootori, a friend of your mom's, from high school."

Kazue nodded. "I know, You're one of the guys in the Host Club. I've seen you in pictures."

Kyoya felt gratified to know that she hadn't completely acted as if they had never existed, and that she had spoken with her son about them even if it was minimal.

Bending down, he picked up a bag that he had sat on the floor behind him. Haruhi raised an eyebrow curiously as he held it out for Kazue. "This if for you - an early birthday present. Your birthday is in a couple weeks, right?"

Kazue's eyes brightened as he nodded, taking the bag and looking up at his mother for permission to open it now. With a small smile she nodded. Excited, he pulled out a book. It was one of the popular youth novels that had come out recently.

"Wow! So cool! Thanks Ootori."

"Open up the cover," Kyoya encouraged. As Kazue did, his whole face brightened.

"Mom! Look mom, it's signed by the author. Thank you. Thank you." he couldn't stop smiling as he bowed to Kyoya.

"That's very generous of you, Kyoya." Haruhi said, but Kyoya just simply shrugged. She knew with his connections it probably hadn't been hard for him to get this book signed. Still, the gesture warmed her heart. "Well, thank you," she looked back at Kazue. "It's past your bedtime so no reading tonight, okay? Go brush your teeth and I'll be there in one minute." Kazue nodded running back in the room.

She turned back to Kyoya, pulling her shawl tight around her shoulders again.

"Really, thank you Kyoya-senpai. You made his day."

"It's no big deal. I'm glad he liked it," he smiled softly. "Goodnight, Haruhi. I will see you, and Kazue, I hope, in the morning."

Haruhi nodded and watched him walk part of the way down the hall before she went back inside her room.


	6. Chapter 6: Breakfast Introductions

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Breakfast Introductions**

* * *

"Are you ready Kazue?" Haruhi asked walking into the bathroom as her son was brushing his teeth.

"Ah'most mom" he mumbled with his mouth full of toothbrush. Going over she picked up a brush and stood behind him attempting to neaten his hair. He moved his eyes up to he frowning in protest but did not attempt to stop her. Quickly finishing brushing his teeth he spat into the sink.

"Mom?" he asked turning around and looking up at her. "Is this what you're wearing."

Haruhi looked down at herself confused. She wore a plain yellow shirt and tan capris. "Yes, why?" she looked down at her son who looked less than impressed at her fashion choices.

Instead of answering he went over to the dresser opening one of the drawers and pulling out a bag. Curiously she walked over to see what it was.

"Grandpa says i need to be in charge of making sure you look cute. He held out a pink spaghetti strap sundress with a white ruffled trim. "He said, ' _just because she is spending time with those boys again doesn't mean she shouldn't dress like a girl'_ " Haruhi couldn't help but laugh at her son's stunningly accurate impression of her father as she took the dress.

"He said all that did her?"

Kazue just nodded and Haruhi shook her head. He father was always trying to get her to wear more girly clothes she didn't know why he thought being around her old host club friends would make it worse.

But the dress wasn't so bad so she decided it wouldn't hurt. Going back into the bathroom she changed into the dress. Digging through her suitcase she found a pair of ballet flats and a white sweater before putting on the heart shaped locket that Kazue had given her for mother's day last year.

Kazue smiled when he saw her giving her an approving two thumbs up. "Looking good mom."

"Thanks." she smiled down at him, "Why don't you go put on the nice button up shirt we bought and then we will try one last time to fix your hair before we go."

* * *

This mornings activity was the clubs breakfast, which was set out outside the front of the school. Haruhi and Kazue were a little early and so they were the first to arrive.

Once they found the table for the host club they sat down near the head of the table. Kazue stared up at the building in awe. "This is where you went to school?..."

Haruhi chuckled and nodded. "Yes. I studied really hard and passed my entrance exam and was awarded a scholarship to be able to attend here."

"That's so cool." he said dreamy eyed.

"You think so?"

Kazue nodded and smiled. "Mom if I work really hard in school can I go to a high school liked this?"

"You want to go to a school like Ouran?"

Kazue nodded. "It would be awesome.

Haruhi thought about this. Her son was very smart and she had no doubt he could get into a place like Ouran. She she also knew because of her and her friends he did have the connections to get in regardless. Would she consider moving back so that Kazue could attend here? It really was an excellent academy after all and it would be a great school to help her son get wherever he wanted to go in life.

"What are you reading?"

Haruhi looked over to see Kaoru leaning on the back of Kazue's chair looking over his shoulder. Hikaru was taking a seat across the table from her. Kaoru looked over at Haruhi and smiled.

"Morning Haruhi you're looking great today." he walked around the table sitting next to his twin. "So this must be your boy Kazue. He looks a lot like you."

"Thank you." Haruhi replied glancing at Hikaru who was uncharacteristically quiet. He was sulking still. She needed to do something to try and fix that. She felt bad knowing she was ruining his time here. "And yes, this is Kazue. Kazue these are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachii, and Kaoru's wife Julienne." she added as Julienne joined Kaoru sitting next to him.

"Oh is this your son?" she asked in her rich french accent. "My he is so handsome. Un petit prince." she smiled.

Kazue furrowed his brows leaning over to his mom. "Did she call me a little prince?" Haruhi laughed and nodded as Kazue remained confused.

Next to arrive was Kyoya and Sydney.

"I'm glad to see you liked the present." Kyoya said observing the book he still had out on the table as he pulled out a chair for Sydney before taking a seat on Kazue's right.

"I do thank you." Kazue smiled.

"Leaning back just slightly Kyoya took Sydney's hand. "This is Sydney." Kyoya said introducing her. "She is a concert pianist." Kyoya sure wasn't shy about bragging about his grilfriend. Haruhi found it very sweet. His words from last night came to her mind: ' _Ad is stands now, I can not and will not drop everything. I love Sydney very much and wouldn't leave her.'_. she definitely didn't doubt his words and it made her happy to see. She had never really seen Kyoya much interested in dating. His focus was always on different and more profitable gains. But he truly seemed smitten with this young american pianist.

"You mean like you play in front of hundreds of people?" Kazue asked.

"Yes." Sydney nodded with a smiled.

"Wow." Kazue said almost dreamily, "That's so cool." Haruhi looked back down at her son.

Smiling she put her hand gently on Kazue's back. "Kazue has been taking piano lessons since he was very young. He loves playing."

Sydney's calm brown eyes brightened in response to this. "You do? That's great! I love the piano and I'm glad you enjoy learning it. I bet you'll be a really amazing pianist when you're older if you keep it up."

Kazue looked down shyly as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he nervously played with the cover of this book. "Oh I don't know." he said quietly. Kazue really wasn't used to so much attention. But his mother found his adorable. "I don't know if I could play in front of that many people. I would be too nervous."

"Good morning my fellow beautiful people!" Tamaki said as he walked over to the table with a large smile. That smile got even wider when he say Haruhi and he quickened his pace to take the seat next to her at the head on the table. "Haruhi! Oh you look so cute today!"

Tamaki took her hand bringing it up to his lips and kissing it. The expressions on Haruhi and Kazue's face were identical as they stared at him with a brow raised Kaoru laughed while Hikaru just rolled his eyes.

When Tamaki's eyes found Kazue they sparked with excitement once again. Quickly he stood up going around to Kazue's chair and taking the back of it and spun it around so he was facing him. Kazue's eyes were wide in shock as he stared up at the violet eyed prince.

"Senpai...don't scare my son…" Haruhi said but Tamaki hardly payed her any attention which was very rare.

"So your Kazue." his smile beamed "You're so cute just like your mother!" he hugged Kazue tightly rubbing his head against his cheek like a cat.

"Senpai!" Haruhi exclaimed yanking his away from her son. Kyoya shook his head as he adjusted his glasses while Sydney put her hand over her mouth feeling bad for poor Kazue who looked completely terrified that a complete stranger had just tried to smother him.

"Way to close!" Kaoru and Hikaru said in unison.

"Look at him," Kaoru motioned towards Kazue.

"Yeah boss! I think you've damaged him." Hikaru pitched in.

"But he's Haruhi's boy." Tamaki pouted as he sat back on his legs on the ground. "He is family!"

Haruhi sighed. "Senpai...you can't just hug people you just met. You need to allow people their personal space."

Tamaki looked back up at Kazue with his most sincere apologetic pout. Kazue watched him cautiously. He already hadn't been sure what to expect from the mysterious ex-boyfriend of his mother's, but he sure hadn't been expecting him to be anything like this.

"I'm sorry." Tamaki said standing up brushing off his pants as his whole countance changed. His expression because more seriously but he smiled friendly as he held out his hand for Kazue to shake. "Can we start over? I am Tamaki Suoh."

Kazue glanced at his mother nervously before taking Tamaki's hand shaking it cautiously. "It's nice to met you Suoh-senpai." he said softly.

"You can just call me Tamaki."

"Uh...Okay Tamaki." Kazue looked back at his mother again for some sort of hint on how he should react to this man.

"You know," Sydney said leaning forward to look at Kazue. "Tamaki is an amazing pianist as well. I think he probably plays better than me." she smiled hoping this topic would break the awkward tension.

"I don't know that i would go that far." Kyoya mumbled under his breath but Sydney just smiled gently placing her hand on Kyoya's knee under the table. Kyoya placed his hand over hers gently rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand.

"Oh my no, no my beautiful songbird!" Tamaki exclaimed as he went over hugging her from behind which caused Kyoya to send him a warning look like daggers in his direction. But of course Tamaki was oblivious to it. "Your fingers are like magic on those keys. I've never seen anyone who plays such beautiful music."

Sydney's cheeks blushed a dark pink as she reached up with her free hand patting one of his arms around her gently. "Thank you Tamaki." she smiled "That's very kind of you to say."

Thankfully for Kyoya the sound of Honey's two girls Mika and Ruri squabbling over which was better, strawberry cake or strawberry jelly doughnuts, drew everyone's attention over to Honey, Mori and their families as they approached.

"Hello everyone!" Honey said brightly with a smile as they all found their seats. "I'm glad we weren't late, I was worried we would miss the cake."

Hana looked over at her husband with a loving sympathetic smile. "Mitsukuni, sweetie it's breakfast there isn't going to be any cake."

Honey pouted as he looked back at his wife with his big pleading puppy dog eyes that Haruhi personally had never been able to say no to. "But…"

"Mitsukuni," she said quietly, "we talked about this. How we need to show a good example for the girls." Honey looked over at his girls and nodded though he still looked a little heartbroken. Hana smiled sweetly leaning over and kissing her husband's cheek.

Soon afterwards the waitress came to take everyone's order. They chatted and laughed about old memories of the years they spent at Ouran and their times together in the Host Club. So much had changed and yet, so much was still exactly the same.

The twins had both clearly matured yet they were still mischievous and loved to stir things for for entertainment. Haruhi felt almost guilty how amused she was watching them pester Kyoya about Sydney as she held Honey's ten month old son Sora. it showed how much Kyoya had soften over the years and Haruhi had a feeling that young brunette had a lot to do with that.

Honey and Mori acted much the same but she couldn't help but admire how families and fatherhood suited them. Even the silent stoic Mori who looked so soft and mild as he patiently held his son in his lap letting him pick off his plate to eat.

Tamaki was the one person she couldn't seem to decide on what had changed. He seemed just the same as he was the day she left. He was a few years older, had new responsibilities with his job but other than that it was as if no time had passed at all.

"Mom," Kazue whispered as he nudged her. "Is this what every day was like when you were in the host club?"

Haruhi smiled putting her arm around him and kissing the top of his head. "No, usually there were a lot more props and costumes involved."

They both laughed lightly and Kazue smiled up at his mother. "And you were pretending to be a boy."

The laughed again as Haruhi pulled him closer.

* * *

Tamaki quietly sunk down in his chair when he was sure that no one was looking before quickly scurrying around behind Haruhi and her son to slop in between Kyoya and Sydney who were in the middle of a private quiet conversation.

"Kyoya." He said in a desperate whisper as he popped his head between the two. This caused Sydney to gasp putting her hand over her mouth to hold nacl a squeak. She nearly spilled her glass of apple juice but Kyoya reached out steadying it with one finger on the rim of the glass as he galnced at his poor girlfriend with her hand over her chest trying to catch her breath.

Kyoya remained completely unfazed as he removed his hand from the glass and placed it over Sydney's hand that now rested on the table. "What is it Tamaki?" he asked dryly.

"Why do you think Haruhi never told us about Kazue?"

"What would make you think I know that?"

"Do you think it's because she is ashamed of me?" Tamaki asked quietly as he pouted looking down at his hands as he continually tapped his two index fingers together. "Do you think that's why she left? Because she shamed of me?"

"Most definitely." Kaoru said with a grin and Tamaki jumped to find the twins perched on either side of Tamaki's shoulder having inserted themselves into the conversation.

"Yeah," Hikaru added "she probably didn't want to introduce you to Kazue because you would embarassed her."

"Which you did." They finished in unison. Tamaki's face flushed red as a tomato before he looked down ashamed.

"Haruhi thinks I'm a complete embarrassment to her…"

"I don't think she thinks that Tamaki." Sydney tried, hoping to maybe cheer him up.

"I doubt that." Hikaru countered "Did you see the looked on her face when you smothered her son? I think she wanted to die from embarrassment."

"Tamaki," Kyoya interjected to prevent the twins from saying anymore. "If you really want to know what she thinks why don't you just ask Haruhi directly?"

"Ask me what?" Haruhi asked as her and Kazue stood behind the huddled group wondering what was going on.

"Nothing!" Tamaki said springing to his feet nearly knocking heads with Sydney in the process "Nothing at all!"

The twins rolled their eyes mumbling in unison. "Real smooth boss."


	7. Chapter 7:The Eye of the Storm

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: The Eye of the Storm**

* * *

"Nothing!" Tamaki said jumping up, "Nothing at all!" Haruhi raised a suspicious brow. But decided not to push it. Glancing over at Kazue she saw him giving Tamaki a strange look before shrugging and going over to Honey's two girls watching with Ruri as Mika played on a portable game system intrigued. Deciding he was entertained enough she turned to Hikaru which caused her not to even see Tamaki as he opened his mouth to say something to her.

"Hikaru?" Can we talk alone for a minute?" Tamaki pouted.

Hikaru looked at her a little surprised then shrugged. "Yeah sure."

Haruhi was nervous about talking to him. Bt it had to be done. He was clearly the one who resented her most for leaving which she hadn't fully expected since it was Tamaki she had thought would have taken it the hardest.

The two of them walked over to a more secluded area in the gardens. The chatting of all the various clubs becoming a soft hum in the background. Sticking his hands in his pockets he looked to the side not making eye contact with her. Haruhi sighed.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"I'm sorry Hikaru." she said looking down. This caused him to finally look up at her taking her in. he kept his mouth twisted in a frown as he watched her so he wouldn't let his emotions over run him.

"Yeah well you should be." he said haughtily turning his nose up and looking away from her again. "You said we were friends. Some friend you must see us as considering you just left us with no warning just a goodbye. Even after everything we…" his voice hitched "everything _all_ of us have been through together."

Haruhi reached out putting her hand on his arm gently. Hikaru looked back at her trying to keep an angry composure but was unsuccessful as soon as he looked down into those beautiful big brown eyes.

"Why…" he whispered, his voice choked up with emotion. "After what happened and then you run off and now you come back with a kid. An eight old boy i might add." he frowned again.

"Hikaru I…"

"Did you think I was stupid?" he interrupted "I know Tamaki is dumb as a brick and wouldn't think about the significance of a timeline like that but did you think I wouldn't?" he was fighting hard to manage his voice so he wasn't yelling at her. He was just so frazzled with so many emotions he was having a hard time controlling it.

"How...I...wait let me…" Haruhi stuttered trying to find her words. She was flustered by how angry he seemed. She really hadn't realized how much she had hurt him. That after all these years he was still this upset with her.

"Explain what? Why you ran away because you got pregnant instead of facing what happened. I mean you clearly love you son, so was it just that you couldn't stand to face who the father was? You do know who it is right? I mean we all know you were sleeping with Tamaki since our third year so it could only be me or Tamaki right?"

Haruhi hesitated trying to figure out how to answer. She didn't want to lie any more, it had caused enough trouble already. Unfortunately the hesitation answered Hikaru's question quite clearly.

"There was someone else…" his voice was low and cold. "During the same time there was someone else? Who?"

"Hikaru I don't want to,"

"Who?" he asked again interrupting her. He watched her squarely making it clear that he was going to accept nothing less than the full answer.

Haruhi chewed her bottom lip looking down. This wasn't easy for her to live with let alone to have to recount her mistakes to one of the men she had hurt so much in the process. Talking about it was hard but she knew that this probably wouldn't be the last time she had to recount that horrible week full of mistakes.

"Well?" Hikaru asked impatiently.

"Kyoya…" she whispered not looking up.

Silence followed. Hikaru was quiet for so long that eventually Haruhi looked up at him. His expressions were mixed but one that was very clear was anger as he looked down at her with clenched fists.

"Kyoya?..." he hissed through his teeth "You slept with Kyoya too? What the hell Haruhi. I mean when I was with you I expected Tamai because it was obvious but I also knew you wouldn't commit to him so I thought that I was just that you were scared or not 100% clear on your feeling, not because you just wanted to play the field…" he turned his back to her, glaring at the ground "That night meant alot to me and I had hoped...I had hoped it meant at least something to you even if you hadn't chosen me in the end...clearly I was wrong…"

He turned running off away from her. Haruhi looked up attempting to run after him but tripped on an uneven stone on the path. "Wait! Hikaru!" she called out but he didn't stop "Wait...please…" she whispered as tears spilled down her cheeks. "You don't understand...it did mean something...I screwed up. I screwed up everything with everyone. I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Hikaru kept running even though he heard her calling out for him. He didn't want to heat it. He didn't want her excuses. How could she do what she did? He felt so betrayed.

Due to the lack of attention to his surroundings he rounded a corner much to quickly running into someone and sending a large stack of dirty dishes flying in the air before falling on the ground all around them. One plate in particular landing on his head before shattering. "Hey don't you ever watch where you're going?" he looked up to see a young woman who looked to be at most 21. She was small with rich brown curly hair that fell around her shoulders framing her slim light freckled face. She looked up at him her full lips frowning and her turquoise green eyes glaring. As he examined her he noticed she had gotten it much more than him as a half eaten bowl of oatmeal was upside down on her head dripping down her hair.

She opened her mouth to tell him off for being the one who wasn't watching where he was going but she stopped herself seeming to recognize that he was one of the alumni here. From the white button up shirt and black apron she wore it was pretty obvious she was one of the staff hired for the event.

"I'm sorry." she said looking down. She pulled out a rag handing it to him. He took it watching her as he wiped off the few chunks of food that had landed on him.

She pulled the bowl off her head scooping chunks of oatmeal out of her hair. She looked as pathetic as a wet dog with matted fur. Once she felt she got out as much as she could she wiped her hands on her apron and pulled herself up. But the second she put weight on her ankle her face twisted in pain and she fell down again landing on a broken shard of a plate which caused her to cry out again as it cut her.

Hikaru's eyes widened as he quickly crawled over to her "Are you okay?"

She sat back holding her leg with a swollen ankle and now a bleeding knee. "Do I bloody look okay?" she asked as tears streamed down her cheeks from the pain.

Hikaru's heart softened as he was thoroughly distracted from the incident that had made in so upset in the first place as he moved over helping her up before scooping her into his arms bridal style. "Let's get you to the nurse. I was told there is supposed to be emergency medical staff here all weekend for the event."

She just nodded wiping away her tears as he started walking, carrying her to the nurse's office.

When they arrived the doctors took her right away and hikaru sat on a nearby bed. He looked down at his filthy clothes and frowned. Pulling out his phone he texted his brother the situation. Kaoru promised he would be there shortly with a change of clothes.

Kaoru arrived just as the doctor had finished bandaging up the girls leg. Julienne was with him carrying a new set of clothes for him and a set of women's clothes as well.

"Oh my, is everyone alright?" she asked going over to them just as the nurse was helping the girl up so they could take her to the bathroom to clean up. "Here," Julienne offered "I brought a change of clothes for you too so you don't have to get back into those dreadful and dirty clothes after you get cleaned up."

The girl looked down at the very obvious designer clothes before shaking her head. "No, i couldn't... these look expensive."

Julienne waved her hand. "Yes but I won't miss them. I was planning to get rid of them anyway. They are so last season. Might as well donate them to a good cause right?"

The girl stared at her as if she couldn't decide if this women was serious or not. With a silent nod she took the clothes mumbling a thank you. Julienne smiled warmly before getting a look on her face like she got the most brilliant idea.

"I'll come help!" she chirped as she took the girl's arm helping the nurse get her into the bathroom.

Kaoru went over sitting by his twin brother.

"So...what happened?"

"I told you." Hikaru said looking away "I ran into her, she fell down."

"I meant with Haruhi."

Hikaru was quiet for a long moment before he answered. "She doesn't know who Kazue's father. It could be me or Tamaki, or…" he paused the pain rushing back "or Kyoya."

"Kyoya?" Kaoru responded, sincerely surprised. "Wow...I never would have imagined."

Hikaru clenched his fists "Yeah well who cares?" he stood up "Now I know exactly what type of person she is so it doesn't matter how I felt any more." He snatched the clothes stomping over to the other wash room and slamming the door shut.

* * *

Tamaki leaned his back against the wall which hid him from view his heart pounding.

"Wait! Hikaru!" Haruhi called out and he heard footsteps running further away. "Wait...please...you don't understand...It did mean something. I screwed up. I screwed up everything with everyone. I'm sorry…"

Tamaki knew he should move, go forward to help Haruhi or maybe just run away? He had never felt so conflicted before. Especially when it came to haruhi. But after everything he had just heard his heart ached.

Hikaru and Kyoya...she had been with both of them? How could that be? And then Kazue...he hadn't even considered that there was a chance that Kazue might be his son, his flesh and blood.

"Uh, Suoh-Senpai?"

Tamaki jumped slightly looking down to see Kazue standing there. His heart hammered in his chest now when he looked at the boy. He found himself oddly drawn to him and very hopeful that perhaps this was his child. A child he and Haruhi made. Just the thought of that filled his heart with joy.

But his mind was quickly brought back to focus on the present predicament and his spirits were crushed.

"Have you seen my mom?" Kazue asked when Tamaki didn't answer.

Tamaki nodded. "Yes I think she is just around the corner." Kazue nodded a thank you before going in that direction. Finally Tamaki found the strength in his legs and he made his way back to the breakfast table sitting next to Kyoya slouching.

Kyoya was typing on his computer away on his laptop and didn't even look up at Tamaki as he acknowledged him. "What is it Tamaki?" he asked.

Tamaki idly tapped his fingers together, a thoughtful sad look on his princely face. He looked over at Kyoya as Kyoya was taking a sip of his tea. "Did you sleep with Haruhi?"

The sudden and blunt nature of such a question actually caught Kyoya by surprise and he had to quickly put his up down as he held back a cough that threatened to cause him to spew all the tea currently in his mouth.

After a minute he got it under control and looked over at Tamaki. "What did you ask me?" he questioned for clarity.

"Did you sleep with Haruhi?" he repeated the question.

"Kyoya straightened up adjusting his glasses as he regained his full calm composure. "Yes."

Tamaki slouched further in his chair with a frown. "She slept with Hikaru too…" his voice was barely a whisper. Somehow actually saying it out loud hurt much more then when he had just heard Haruhi say it.

"I know."

Tamaki looked over at him with his jaw dropped. Kyoya just keep typing as if this was no big deal. "You what?!"

Kyoya sighed as he shut his computer before turning to face him once again adjusting his glasses. "Unless want to draw everyone's attention to our conversation you should quiet down." he paused for a moment waiting for him to calm down before he continued. "Tamaki this happened years ago. Do you think Haruhi doesn't have regrets? Don't you have regrets about things you did years ago?"

Tamaki nodded with a pout. Of course he had regrets but he had never done something so…

"Tamaki." Kyoya said interrupting his thought before if could get out of hand. "Stop overthinking everything. If you want to know what happened and why, just ask her rather than guessing and causing problems where there is none." he turned back opening up his laptop again and resumed typing.

Glumly nodding Tamaki went back to his chair nibbling on a pastry that was still on his plate.

Kyoya glanced up over at him before looking over as she saw Haruhi and Kazue returning. Kazue grabbed his book before they excused themselves promising to met the group at the park in a few hours.

 _...Kyoya sat on the edge of the bed putting his shirt back over his head and grabbing his glasses. As he put the back on he watched Haruhi as she got dressed very quietly with an unreadable expression. He knew that wasn't a good sign for him._

 _The most nagging and annoying thought was that he was being compared to Tamaki and she had been less that impressed. Frustrated he stood up intending to walk out but before he could he saw a tear trickle down her cheek._

" _Haruhi?..."_

" _I'm sorry I just…" she reached up wiping away her tears. "I shouldn't have…"_

" _Don't." Kyoya said cutting her off. "I get it."_

" _No Kyoya." she sighed sitting down on the edge of the bed. "This is a mess I can't keep letting myself fall into traps in the rush of my emotions."_

" _Can't keep?" he asked his voice calm and his expression steady as he waited for her to explain._

 _Haruhi's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I...I let this happen a few day ago with with Hikaru." she put her hands over her face. "What's wrong with me?"_

 _Kyoya remained quiet for a moment as he worked through his thoughts before speaking. He knew the fact that she was talking to him about this proved how much she thought of him, even if it wasn't in the way he had hoped. But he had known the gamble he was taking doing this from the start so he shouldn't be so surprised._

" _You're careless." he answered simply. It wasn't the most tactful response but even understanding her, this situation stung him and he was entitled to at least a little bitterness._

" _Careless?" she let her hand slide off her as she looked up at him._

" _Yes careless. You haven't sorted out your feelings because you don't want to face them so you foolishly get into these situations. If you don't accept and admit who you really love your close feelings for the rest of us are going to end up confusing you and this type of thing is what happens."_

 _Haruhi chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up at him. "Are you talking about…"_

 _The door burst open just then and Tamaki flew in. "Haruhi! There you are!" he ran over to her picking her up and hugging her so tight he nearly suffocated her. "They told me you passed out and that Kyoya took you back. That you were really sick. I was so worried Haruhi don't you ever do that again! You're supposed to stay safe and sound. And being alone with Kyoya that can't be safe either." he rambled quickly with a single breath._

 _Kyoya rolled his eyes annoyed at this insult and Haruhi frowned. "Let go of me Tamaki." she pushed away from him. "I can take care of myself. I don't need to be babied." her cheeks burned red with embarrassment as she stormed past him out into the hall._

" _Do you ever knock?" Kyoya asked dryly_

 _Tamaki stared at the door where Haruhi had just disappeared with a confused frown. "What did I do?" He looked back at Kyoya who sighed in frustration._

" _You're an idiot." He said sitting down at his desk. "Get out of my room."_

 _He shook his head as Tamaki left mumbling to himself trying to figure out what he had done wrong. 'Communication' the thought to himself 'Those two really need to learn some communication'. …_

Kyoya glanced back at Tamaki once more who seemed to be very deep in thought. Maybe he would actually learn to be direct for once and maybe now Haruhi will be able to open up to him and explain instead of treating him like a child. Neither of them were children anymore, it was time they started acting like it.


	8. Chapter 8: Searching for Truth

**A/N: Sorry all for taking so long to get this next chapter posted with the holidays and starting school it's been a little crazy for me. But fear not! I have not dropped my story and there will still be more to come! ;D!**

* * *

 ****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Searching for Truth**

* * *

After showering Hikaru returned going back over to his brother who was still waiting for Julienne to come back out.

"Do you feel better now?" Kaoru asked with a soft smile. Hikaru looked down at his hands in his lap not answering. "Hikaru, please answer me…I was really worried about you, you could have been hurt a lot worse. What were you thinking?"

"I was trying not to." Hikaru admitted his voice barely a whisper.

Kaoru sighed putting an arm around his brother's shoulder as they both leaned their heads in resting against each other. "Because you and Haruhi talked?"

Hikaru just nodded.

"What did she say?"

"Well she doesn't know who Kazue's father is...me, Tamaki or Kyoya…"

Kaoru raised a brow completely shocked. "Kyoya? Wow…"

"Whatever, I don't care" he said with a frown.

"Hikaru." Kaoru said in a knowing tone as he pulled back to look down at his twin. But the stubborn man just folded his arms in protest determined to prove everything that happened with Haruhi had no effect on him whatsoever.

It was then that Kaoru had an idea come to his mind. A wicked, mischievous, brilliant idea. Of course his brother would most likely see through it since they both had the same twisted mine. But to get around it he would ultimately have to accept his feelings about Haruhi. It was either that or give up and go along with it.

Kaoru grinned. "Well then you know I think you should bring a date to the park today."

Hikaru just watched him. He knew exactly what he was doing. He frowned. "Who would I go with? My girlfriend broke up with me last month and I imagine most people here came with a partner." He tried.

"I'm sure that there is someone." he smirked as Julienne and the nurse came out followed by the young woman Hikaru had run into. She had a brace on her ankle so she could walk on her own with relative ease. She no longer was covered in chunks of food and lumps of oatmeal.

Her hair was still damp curling around her face. Julienne had clearly decided to take advantage of the situation and dolled the girl up. She now wore a dark teal blouse that fit her form to her waist before flaring out. A second layer of Ivory lace peaked out at the collar and ruffled a few inches at the bottom. Underneath she wore a black pair of shorts that came just above her mid thigh. Clearly feeling very self conscious she reached up tucking some strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh look. There's a cute girl." Kaoru smirked elbowing his brother lightly who just scowled back at him.

"There is no way I can work in this...it will get ruined…"

"Ma chere," Julienne smiled softly "you surely can't be considering going back to work with your ankle like that."

"I can't leave my shift." she tried seeming stressed "I could get fired for leaving them short handed on a job like this."

"Nonsense," Julienne said waving her hand before looking over at the twins "We will ensure that doesn't happen right Kaoru?"

Kaoru beamed at his wife standing up and going over to join her. "Of course not!" he said "Don't worry angel, you won't get fired. We happen to be very close friends with the boss right Hikaru?"

Hikaru just continued to frown at his brother. Getting up he turned to leave. "Hey Hikaru!" Kaoru called going after him and stopping him before he walked out. "Hey, come on Hikaru."

"I know what you're doing, I'm not asking that girl out."

"Why not? It's just the park, and you did run into her and get her hurt."

"She should have watched where she was going."

Kaoru put his hand on his brother's shoulder sympathetically, "Come on, just because you're unhappy doesn't mean you should take it out on her. Look, I know you've had a hard day."

"Whatever," he shrugged his shoulder to remove Kaoru's hand. "I'm fine it doesn't matter."

"Then ask her out."

"No."

"Because your not over Haruhi?"

Hikaru opened his mouth to say something but just shut it again with a scowl. Folding his arms he glared at his twin. "If I ask her to join us at the park will you stop pestering me about Haruhi?"

"For now." He promised.

"Fine, then go."

Kaoru knew Hikaru was mad at him but he also knew it would pass, neither of them could stay mad at one another for long. Plus, Hikaru needed this, he needed to admit the problem. But mostly he needed to let go.

Hikaru walked over to the young woman and Julienne.

"Hey…" Hikaru said with a crooked smile as he put his hand behind his head. "I want to apologize properly for what happened." Julienne just smiled returning to Kaoru who put his hand gently on her back leading her out of the room with a smug smile. Even as upset as he was Hikaru still knew how to play the part. ' _It's the job of a Host to make every girl happy.'_

"I was having a rough morning," Hikaru continued "so I didn't react well when I knocked you over. Can you forgive me?"

"It's okay, I understand." she said a little perplexed at his change of attitude.

"I never got your name." she smiled putting his hands in his pockets. "I'm Hikaru Hitachiin."

She paused before answering. "I'm Sakura Nakamura."

"Sakura," he smiled, "such a beautiful name. Very fitting." This made her blush slightly though she tilted her head slightly confused at him. What was a rich man like him bothering to waste his time apologizing and complementing her.

Sakura had worked for this catering business since she was eighteen and had worked many gigs for filthy rich clients and this weekend's job was no different. But most the clients and their guests were stuck up and rude. Unless you had something to offer them you were nobody, and that's exactly what Sakura was, nobody, the help.

He was attractive, that she couldn't deny which is what made the compliments cause her to blush. "Thank you." was all she managed.

"I would like to make it up to you for my horrible behavior. Would you come with me this afternoon to have lunch at the park?"

"You don't have to do that, really…"

"No," Hikaru interrupted "Please I would enjoy that. Plus, you said you were worried about your job right? Well my brother wasn't lying, the chairman of the school is one of our closest friends and he will be there. Tamaki Suho would ensure that your job is secure."

She chewed on this for a moment. This seemed so out of the blue, but it wasn't like they would be alone, it was a public place with his friends. What could be the harm right?

"Alright." she said slowly.

Hikaru smiled a little surprised but pleased. "Excellent. Where can I pick you up?"

"Umm, the back room behind the grand hall, that's where the staff has been staying when off the clock."

"Great." he put his hand gently on her shoulder. "I'll see you in a few hours then." he gently squeezed her shoulder before turning and leaving as Sakura just watched him go trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.

* * *

The afternoon was beautiful with clear blue skies and a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. The children were playing with Honey and Mori in the grass running around, climbing up Mori and laughing. On a blanket near by sat Hana and Julienne watching them and playing with little Sora, Shizuko standing behind them bouncing Hiroyuki gently to keep the child calm. Next to them on their own blanket Kyoya sat typing away on his laptop and Sydney lay on her stomach reading a book.

"So where did Tamaki and Kaoru go?" Hana asked as she carefully unhooked her son's little fist from the necklace he was yanking on.

"To go check on Haruhi, her and Hikaru had an argument earlier. Kaoru was worried she might decide to go home after that." Julienne replied.

Shizuko frowned "I sure hope ot. All of the guys were so excited to see her again." the other two ladies nodded in agreement. "Wait is Hikaru not coming then?"

Juliene just smiled knowingly "No he should be on his way, he had to go pick up a date."

As if on que a car pulled up just then and Hikaru stepped out of the back before holding his hand out and helping out his date.

"Oh she is cute." Hana smiled and giggled "I think they look very good together."

Shizuko and Julienne both nodded in agreement as the two walked over to the group. They reached Honey and Mori first, Honey of course being the first to run over and greet them.

"Hika-chan!" he called excited. Mika and Ruri followed their father over each one hugging one of Hikaru's legs.

"You're here! You're here!" Ruri exclaimed.

Mika tugged on his shirt. "Oji-san Hikaru are you going to play with us now?" her big puppy dog brown eyes she had inherited from her father stared up at him hopefully, almost pleadingly.

"Well I,"

"Who's your friend?" Honey asked interrupting him. Hikaru glanced at Honey before looking over at Sakura.

"This is Sakura Nakamura." he introduced and all eyes turned to her. Both little girls looked up at Sakura with sparkling eyes.

"Nakamura-san, are you going to play with us too?"

"Uh…" Sakura looked at the girls a little overwhelmed by the overall friendliness of all the high class and wealthy people.

"Mika, Ruri," Mori said. Sakura and both girls looked up at the tall dark haired man. Sakura blushed lightly. Not only were they all kind and respectful but all of them were gorgeous. What on earth had she stumbled into. "Look at her ankle." in instructed.

Both girls looked down at the brace supporting her ankle. Little Ruri looked back up at Sakura again with sweet concern filling her eyes. "Naka-san get hurt?" the three year old asked shortening her name because she couldn't remember the whole thing.

"Yes." Hikaru answered. "So why don't we let her sit down while we play okay?" he looked over towards the blankets. "Where is Kaoru?"

"Kaou-chan and Tama-chan went to go get Haru-chan." Honey answered and Hikaru just frowned.

* * *

"Mom…" Kazue said as he watched her pace around the room picking things up.

"I'm okay Kazue I promise, I just should have known better than to come."

Kazue frowned looking down at the book in his lap that Kyoya had given him. He didn't want to leave, he liked his mom's old friends. They were all so nice. But his mom was so sad, when he had found her this morning after she had spoken to her friend Hikaru she was kneeling on the ground crying. Her knees were scraped from falling. He had never seen her so upset before.

He had always known that his mother fought with major guilt of whatever happened between her and her friends all those years ago. But until now he had never known how bad it was. But he knew that part of it was because she didn't know who his dad was but he knew that it was one of the men that he met earlier.

"Mom?" he asked again looking up at her "I want to know what happened. Why you stopped talking to your friends. Was it because of me?"

Haruhi stopped what she was doing looking over at him, tears still lingering in her eyes."No, Kazue it wasn't…"

"Because you got pregnant." he clarified "They didn't know about me right?"

Going over Haruhi knelt in front of him putting her hand over his on top of the book of his lap. "No."

"Because…" he said quietly "one of them is my dad but you don't know who?"

Tears spilled onto Haruhi's cheek as the guilt of her past overwhelmed her once more. Everything she had done to the people she loved and her perceptive brillant son who she loved more than anyone else was suffering now too.

"I want to know." Kazue said softly "I can handle it. Mom, I love you, I don't hate you because you don't know who my dad was. But I want to know who it could be."

"Kazue I…"

"I want to know who my dad is mom." he said. They were both quiet looking at each other for a long time. Haruhi's heart ached and she was scared. She knew that this day would come eventually and that she would have to tell him everything but he was still so young she wasn't ready for this.

She opened her mouth to speak but just then there was a knock at their door. She looked back startled quickly wiping her eyes. Standing up she looked back at Kazue. "You should pack your things we will talk more when we get to Grandpa's." then she turned and went over opening the door.

Tamaki smiled when she opened the door happy she was still here, but when he saw the way she looked he frowned. Glancing behind her he saw kazue packing and his frown deepened. "You're leaving?"

"Yes I think it's best."

"You can't!" he exclaimed grabbing her shoulders. "Haruhi you can't just leave me again." the he blushed realizing what he had said and seeing the look on her face "You can't leave us again." he corrected.

"Tamaki I…"

"How about I take Kazue with me to the park to meet everyone who is already there. We have lunch prepared it should be delicious."

Haruhi hesitated and Kazue took this as an opportunity. Quickly he went over to the door. "That sounds good." he said. Haruhi looked down at her normally shy and timid son a little surprised. "Can I mom? I want to go to the park."

She nodded slowly. "Okay that's fine."

Kazue quickly grabbed his bag before walking out with Kaoru and soon the two disappeared around the corner.

Tamaki Looked back down at Haruhi and smiled warmly. "Can we take a walk and maybe talk?"

Haruhi took a deep breath but nodded in agreement.

* * *

"So kid, are you excited to go to the park?" Kaoru asked as they walked out front where the sleek black car was waiting for them.

"No, not really." Kazue admitted as the driver opened the door and he climbed in. Kaoru raised a brow at his response as he followed him stepping into the car as the door shut.

"You're not?"

"No."

Kaoru watched him confused. "So I don't get it. You're not excited about going to the park, you just acted like it?"

"Yup." he replied looking out the window thoughtfully as he adjusted his glasses. With what he had just found out a few hours ago it was hard not to draw any comparisons between the boy and Kyoya. The glasses, the clear intelligence, the calm demeanor, he could see how it could be possible. But even that still meant very little. He didn't really have any physical traits that could really help to determine who his father was, mostly he just looked like his mother.

"So why were you so eager to come with me to the park when I offered?"

"Because I don't want to leave." Kazue replied then looked up at him scrutinizing him for a moment before answering him. "I have questions I want answered."

Kaoru chuckled as his approach before smiling knowingly. 'You want to know who your father is."

"Yes." he confirmed.

"So tell her that. Tell her you want to stay and find that out."

Kazue hesitated. "My mom is scared about it … and I don't want her to cry any more. But I still really want to know."

Putting his hand on the boy's shoulder he smiled softly. "Your mother is a strong woman. In the end, it's your choice. You're old enough and have the right to know who your dad is."

Kazue nodded, mulling over this advice quietly for the rest of the ride to the park and Kaoru didn't interrupt his thoughts. He leaned back looking out the window to let him think.


	9. Chapter 9: After Ten Years Time

_A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update! School is kicking my butt and between that and work its been hard to keep updated on a timely manner. But do not fear, I have not forgotten. I have been writing during free time but finding time to sit down type and edit has been the real struggle...anyway! Hope you like chapter 9! 10 will be coming soon_

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 ****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: After Ten Years Time**

* * *

It was awkward - painfully awkward.

Tamaki and Haruhi walked down to the hotel lobby before going into the beautiful court yard garden. After all these years of knowing the people she did from Ouran, Haruhi thought she would be used to things like this, but she wasn't. "Isn't this a bit extreme for a hotel courtyard?" she asked, hoping to break the tension.

"Of course not!" Tamaki exclaimed. "This is a luxury hotel. People pay a lot of money to stay in the best places with the best service and the most beautiful views."

Haruhi stopped walking and was now watching him with a raised brow. He spoke like a salesperson on an infomercial, trying to persuade people to spend money on luxuries that they didn't need.

"Tamaki," she said, folding her arms and looking up at him, "look around. We are the only two people here. I haven't seen anyone enjoying the view or spending time here. They just come to sleep and then leave to do other things. Don't you think that's a waste?"

"Of course not," he smiled, leaning over and reaching behind her, picking a beautiful, blooming, pink blossom. "And the fact that no one is currently in the garden is fine with me because I can enjoy it alone with you. Though I have to say your own beauty is rather distracting. So much so that I hardly notice anything else." He reached over to tuck the flower behind her ear only to have Haruhi slap his hand away. The blossom fell to the brick path with a silent crash and the petals scattered at their feet.

"Stop it, Tamaki," she said. Tamaki looked down at the blossom then back up at Haruhi, confused and dejected. "Stop playing games. We aren't in school anymore. I'm not just another girl you have to put on a show for, so can you just cut the act? We aren't in the host club anymore."

Tamaki's shoulders sank as he watched her quietly for a moment, unsure what to say. He hadn't expected her to become so hostile towards him. He realized he really must have done something wrong. If he hadn't then they probably wouldn't be in this situation right now. Had he done something different back when they were dating perhaps she would have let him in. If he hadn't been so clingy then maybe she might have not gotten involved with Kyoya or Hikaru.

The more he thought the more broken he felt. Had he really been so naïve as to think that a woman as beautiful and smart as Haruhi would ever want to be with him? Had the whole relationship they had all those years ago been more one sided that he had recalled? Perhaps it wall all just pity towards him. She didn't mind him, but she never saw a future with him, so she had refused to be exclusive so that when she was ready she could let him down easy. Or apparently just walk out of his life.

"Just get it over with," Haruhi said, folding her arms and turning away from him.

Tamaki blinked, once again confused. "Get what over with?"

"You want to chew me out too? Everyone else is mad at me and blaming me. So just get it out."

He watched her sadly for a moment. "I think you're the one who is mad and blaming yourself," he said calmly, as he put his hands in his pockets. "We might be upset about what happened but that's because of all the years we lost with you. No one is blaming you for making the tough decision that you did. You're the one who can't forgive yourself."

Haruhi turned back around to look at him, forcing herself to control the tears in her eyes. "Do you really expect me to believe you're over everything that happened?"

"I never said I was over it," he admitted. "I said I wasn't mad or blaming you. What you did really hurt me. I can't pretend like it didn't, but clearly it also hurt you. Haruhi," he reached out slowly waiting to see if she would once again slap his hand away. When she didn't he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before resting his hand on her shoulder. "You know Hikaru, he will get over this. He wears his heart on his sleeve but don't let the issues between you two lead to the rest of us losing you again"

"And what about you and Kyoya?" she asked. Gathering from his words he had overheard the conversation she and Hikaru had had this morning.

"Kyoya hardly seems to have any issues with you."

"And you?" she asked as Tamaki let his hand drop from her shoulder and he put it back in his pocket.

"Me? Haruhi my feelings haven't changed."

She scoffed looking away from him. "You can't be serious Tamaki, it's been ten years."

"And?" he looked back at him with disbelief. "What does the time have to do with it? Time doesn't change everything. Having you come back, seeing you again makes me realize just that; for me time hasn't changed anything. I'm still in love with you Haruhi and even if you still don't seel the same way, I want you back in my life, to have our group together again. We are a family."

"Still?" she asked. He had said if she _still_ didn't feel the same way about him. She didn't know what to think. Did he believe she had never loved him? Of course she shouldn't be surprised with the way she had acted. She was always so careful to keep him at arm's length. What he didn't realize was that it wasn't a reflection of her lack of feelings for him. Quite the opposite. It had been because she was scared of how strong her feelings were.

Tamaki made her crazy. He was childish, impulsive, and dramatic - often overdramatic. He was clingy and possessive, yet always sincere. Tamaki never held back and he gave all he had to give to those he cared about. He was a good heart and kind soul - she had always loved that about him. It wasn't easy to be with Tamaki, but despite all the frustrations she never had planned to leave him. Even when she got pregnant. It wasn't that that made her too scared to face him, it was her guilt. The guilt of knowing that Tamaki had been completely faithful and a hundred percent devoted to her and she hadn't given him the same. Telling herself she had no obligation because she had made it clear she hadn't been to scared to commit so she gave herself an escape plan instead of facing the reality.

"Of course still." Tamaki said, completely oblivious to the real meaning of her question and misunderstanding it. "We will always be a family Haruhi and our group is not complete without you in it. You know," he said tapping his fist against the palm of his hand as he started to become more animated - just like he always did when he thought he had a brilliant idea. "We all would do anything we could to help you out. I know you don't like just accepting things but…" he continued on though Haruhi hardly listened to his whole plan. She only smiled, admitting to herself how much she missed that.

Now was not the time to to tell Tamaki everything or to clarify and correct his assumption about their past. For now she would just accept his words, try to get over her pride, and do what was best for her family. It was time to stop running away from her fears.

"And of course," he continued, "we will get Kazue into the best school. I'm sure, being your son, he will pass any entrance exams."

"Wait, what?" Haruhi asked, her attention drawn back in.

Tamaki just smiled. "Of course, we couldn't allow Kazue to have anything but the best education. His mother is an alumni of Ouran Academy after all."

Haruhi just smiled softly. "I think Kazue would be happy to hear that." Tamaki beamed. "Thank you Tamaki," she said softly as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek just as someone shouting near the front of the hotel caught his attention. He turned his head just slightly causing Haruhi's lips to gently press against his lips instead of his cheek.

Haruhi blushed and pulled back.

"Sorry, I…"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence as Tamaki put one hand on her neck, cupping the base of her skull as he leaned down pressing their lips together, once more kissing her.

So many emotions and sensations ran through her as he took a step closer, closing the gap between them and placing his other hand at her waist. Buried feelings and emotions from ten years ago resurfaced. Before long she found herself placing her hands on his chest then slowly sliding them up and around his neck. Tamaki moved his hands to her waist lifting her up slightly.

Both of them were so distracted they didn't notice the big yellow dog, or the man chasing it, until the animal jumped up, it's big paws landing squarely on Tamaki's back and nearly sending the couple tumbling into the bushes behind them.

"I'm so sorry!" the man said, running over and catching the dog's loose leash. "Are you two alright?"

"Just fine." Tamaki smiled. One hand still around Haruhi's waist, he reached down, petting the dog's head. Haruhi on the other hand was blushing like a strawberry as she stepped to the side, out of Tamaki's grasp. Tamaki looked over at her with a slight disappointed frown.

"We should probably get going senpai," she said. Tamaki nodded, smiling once again at the man and the dog, before following Haruhi, who was already leaving.

"I'm sorry...I messed up again, didn't I?"

Haruhi stopped walking and turned to face him. "No Tamaki, you didn't do anything, I just… we really should go join everyone at the park."

Tamaki nodded, but still wasn't sure what that meant about what he had done. He felt like he had received mixed signals about it. Haruhi saw his pouty look and sighed with a smile.

"Tamaki, it's okay," she assured him. "I'm okay with what happened, it's just, I don't want to move to fast. I have a lot to deal with right now. Let's just take things one step at a time and see what happens."

Tamaki's face brightened instantly. "Thank you!" He hugged her, spinning her around.

"Goodness, put me down Tamaki!" she demanded. He obeyed, looking down at her, still beaming from ear to ear. "Let's just focus on maybe getting me moved back here first. I have to talk to Kazue before I make any decision. Okay?"

Tamaki nodded. He could deal with that. Either way Haruhi was letting him back into her life and he would take whatever that meant, big or small.


	10. Chapter 10: The Decision

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: The Decision**

* * *

Hikaru laughed and smiled as he pulled away from the girls who promptly ran over and jumped on their father's back. He took this opportunity to slip away and go over to Sakura, sitting down next to her with a heavy sigh. He chuckled a little. "Those girls sure are full of energy - probably from all that sugar they eat."

Sakura only nodded softly and replied, "I guess so." Hikaru looked over at her and frowned. She was sitting cross-legged on the blanket, looking down at her hands as she gently played with the lace trim of her shirt. She looked very uncomfortable.

"Sakura?" He put his hand on her back gently as she looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Sakura asked, trying to sound normal, but even she doubted it was successful. "Nothing is wrong."

The fact was, she felt completely out of place here. She was a poor girl trying to slowly pay her way through college with this catering job. She was a lot younger than most of the people here and she felt as if none of them had anything in common with her. When they talked about their daily struggles they were things like finding the right English tutor for their children, or travel arrangements for a fancy vacation for their family and how to accommodate for their younger kids. Even those without kids she couldn't relate to. Like Hikaru's twin and his model wife talking about their next trip to Paris as if they were merely taking a day trip to a local museum. Or the couple on the blanket next to them discussing the man's business schedule on his next trip to the United States and how difficult it was going to be to make time to attend a performance of hers because this transaction would bring his company another ¥ 500,000,000 a year. How was she supposed to relate to these people?

"It doesn't seem like it," Hikaru observed gently, moving his hand to her opposite shoulder so he had his arm around her now. She couldn't help but notice how smooth he was with the transition. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I hope you didn't feel obligated to say yes to this when you didn't want to."

"Oh no. It's not just that, it's just…" she put her hands on her legs before looking up at him. "I kind of feel out of place around all of you. We are all completely different; I don't really fit in here."

Hikaru was quiet and thoughtful about that for a minute as he released her shoulder, putting his hands behind him and leaning back on them to look up at the sky, a light breeze blowing his hair gently. Watching him Sakura felt like she was watching some protagonist in a romantic movie rather than a real scene in her own life.

"What kind of things do you like to do, Sakura?" he asked, looking over at her.

With all the greenery around them his hazel eyes seemed to shine with more green than normal. Once again she was reminded about how incredibly attractive this man was and she found herself horribly distracted. "Uh...what?" she asked, blushing a little as she realized how stupid she probably looked right now.

Hikaru smiled at her reaction. "What do you like to do? Tell me about yourself."

"Um...what do you want to know?"

"Anything," he chuckled "What are your hobbies? What kind of music do you like? What are your favorite things? How old are you? Really anything you want to share, I'm interested in you."

She blushed again, looking down as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears. "Well, I uh, I love to be outdoors: climbing, hiking that sort of stuff - when I can between work and school."

"You're in college?"

She nodded. "I go to the local community college."

"Well that's cool. What are you studying?"

"History." She looked back over at him. "My dad was an English anthropology professor."

"I see, and how old are you?" Hikaru adjusted, laying down on his side and propping his head up with his elbow, as he continued to look up at her.

"I'm twenty-four."

"Okay," he smiled "What other things do you like?"

"Um...I do like baking. I help out making a lot of food at work and I enjoy that, but my favorite is making pastries."

"How do you manage to stay so thin being around all that food all the time." His compliment got the response he was looking for as Sakura blushed deeply and looked away. "Alright, tell me one last thing about yourself."

She looked down at him, hoping she wasn't still blushing horribly, as she could still feel the heat rising from her cheeks. "Uh...I volunteer at the animal shelter once a week. I take the dogs out for walks and to the dog park."

"I see." He smiled, seeming quite satisfied with her answer. "I can't imagine what it must be like to be you in a situation like this. I'm not going to pretend like I do, but I can tell you this, we aren't as different as we seem. We grew up differently and had different lives, but we are all people just like you. Sydney is about your age and also didn't grow up privileged. Honey and Mori are very active and like to do physical things like you do. Hana owns her own bakery where she specializes in pastries and sweets. And Tamaki is obsessed with dogs and makes a lot of donations to local animal shelters. We may not see eye to eye on everything because our views are different, but we all have things in common. And trust me, we are not really an overly judgmental bunch. Especially when it comes to the wealth or social status of someone. We all learned along time ago that that makes no difference."

Sakura watched him, unsure what to say and a little overwhelmed. He had seen her discomfort and insecurity and had successfully distracted her from it and then managed to turn it around and find a way to make her feel more relaxed around his friends. She was amazed by him in general. It was safe to she had never before met anyone like Hikaru Hitachiin.

* * *

Kyoya looked down, stopping his typing for a moment to watch Sydney as she read. The sun shining down on her as she lay on her stomach reading on their picnic blanket was one of the most beautiful sites he had ever seen. It never ceased to amaze him how much the little things she did were very often the things that he loved the most. He held back a smile. She was so caught up in her book that she didn't even notice that he had stopped working to simply get caught up in watching her. Slowly, to not startle her, he reached down and brushed a few hairs away from her face. She looked up at him and smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. The breeze was just blowing some hair into your face."

"Oh." She reached up, tucking her hair behind her ear on both both sides, her smile widening. "Well, thank you."

Closing his computer, he set it to the side. Curious, Sydney put a bookmark in her book as she sat up, sitting next to him. Kyoya adjust his glasses before putting an arm around her. She leaned onto his shoulder.

"Are you done working already? I thought you had a lot to get done today."

"I do," he admitted. "But it can wait till later. I've spent enough time ignoring you for my work. I apologize for that."

"Oh, no, it's fine." She smiled happily. She really never did mind when he had to work. She knew how busy he was and he already made so much time for her. But it always made her feel extra special when he would stop what he was doing to give her his full attention, despite the fact that he had proven many times that he was more than capable of successfully multitasking. "I know you need to work this afternoon."

"Still," he replied, turning his head to kiss her softly on the top of her head. He glanced up as Honey and his girls, giggling, approached the blankets where the rest of the group was. As always followed close my Mori.

"Kaoru and Kazue are here," Shizuko said, as she handed her one year old to her husband. They looked over to see the two walking towards their group.

Hana frowned. "Haruhi and Tamaki aren't with them. Are they not coming?"

"Hey everyone." Kaoru smiled as they joined them. He knelt down behind Julieanne, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"Where are Tamaki and Haruhi?" Julieanne asked.

"The kids are getting pretty hungry," Hanna added. "Will they be here soon?"

"We can start eating. I'm sure they will be here soon," Kaoru said.

Kazue watched all of them, a little unsure of where to sit. They all were nice, but without his mom here he felt a little more shy than before. It was Sydney who noticed first and invited him to sit with her and Kyoya. Kazue nodded with a little smile and thanked her before sitting down and pulling out his book.

"Hooked already?" Sydney asked.

Kazue looked up and adjusted his glasses. Sydney was amazed at how much that little gesture reminded her of the way that Kyoya would always adjust his glasses.

"It's really good," he agreed.

"I know. I love that book."

"You've read it?" he asked, surprised.

Sydney smiled and responded, "Of course. I have a nephew a few years younger than you named Jack, we read it together when it first came out."

"Well, I really like it. It was the coolest birthday present every. Ootori-senpai got it signed by the author." Sydney opened her mouth to say more, but didn't have the chance before Honey ran over excited.

"Did you say birthday!?"

Kazue looked up blinking. "Yes…"

"Yay!" He jumped up and down excitedly. "Hana, did you hear that? It's Kazue's birthday! We need to have birthday cake!"

"Birthday cake! Birthday cake!" Mika and Ruri chanted in unison.

"Actually," Kyoya interjected as he laid down a plate of food for Sydney before sitting back down next to her. Kazue briefly looked over at him, a little surprised, because he hadn't noticed him get up. "Kazue's birthday isn't for a few weeks. It was an early present."

"Then we should have an early birthday party before you go home. With lots of cake! Right Hana?"

"Cake! Cake! Cake!" His girls cheered.

Hana smiled at her sugar-crazed, little family. "I think that would be a lot of fun. If Kazue wants that we could arrange it."

"Oh petit prince, please let us! That would be so fun," Julieanne added

Kazue had had birthday parties before, but he knew the type he had were small and simple compared to the type that these people probably threw. The idea of having a big birthday party sounded exciting, but even more than that it was one more reason Kazue could use to help make sure his mom decided to stay.

"Okay," he said "That sounds fun."

"Yay!" Honey exclaimed excitedly.

"What are you so excited about?" Tamaki asked as he and Haruhi walked over to join them. Tamaki himself looked rather upbeat, with a spring in his step and an extra big smile.

As Hikaru watched the two walk over he felt sick to his stomach. This was going to turn out like it always had. The bumbling airhead was going to get who he wanted no matter how much he drove her crazy; he just didn't understand.

"Honey suggested we throw an early birthday party for Kazue before him and Haruhi leave," Shizuko answered.

"That sounds amazing!" Tamaki exclaimed.

Hikaru looked away from the two, looking back at Sakura, but his gaze and subtle expression had not gone unnoticed by his twin. Kaoru frowned and looked over at Haruhi as she knelt down next to her son. With the sunlight shining down on them it was hard not to notice the slight red color to the boys hair. Just enough to not be obvious but it was there. It made him wonder just slightly. After all, there was a real chance...but he couldn't know for sure.

Tamaki knelt next to Haruhi and Kazue. "We can have it at my estate!" he offered. "I have a big pool and we can have commoner ramen!"

Haruhi sighed.

"Tamaki," Kyoya interjected. "Kazue is a commoner. Don't you think if we are going to throw him a big party we should have food that he normally does not have?"

"Right," he said pounding his fist on his palm before tracing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, what kind of food do you want Kazue? Do you like fancy tuna like your mom?"

Kazue wrinkled his nose and shook his head vigorously. "No way!" Haruhi laughed as her son stuck his tongue out, making a face as if just the mention of it gave him a bad taste in his mouth.

"Kazue doesn't like any sort of raw fish," Haruhi clarified.

"Oh well, fear not my young friend, we will find the perfect dish for this glorious occasion!" Tamaki beamed.

"Just calm down and eat you lunch Boss," Kaoru said, handing him a plate. Tamaki smiled, pleased, as he sat down to eat.

* * *

Haruhi listened to Kazue excitedly explain to his grandfather about the big early birthday party he was going to have. She smiled as she washed the dishes. She was happy at how excited Kazue seemed. More and more she realized how selfish she would be to try and go back to the life they had before. All her friends had already welcomed him so much.

"And do I get to go to this party?" Ranka asked.

Drying off her hands, Haruhi walked over, sitting down to join them. "Only if you promise to be nice to Tamaki dad."

"Suoh said we can use his pool," Kazue added.

"I see," Ranka said. "Still a little sneaky charmer, that one."

Haruhi sighed and shook her head. "Actually, Kazue I have something I wanted to talk to you about." She reached down, gently running her fingers through her son's hair, trying to fix the mess. But as usual it was unsuccessful. "What would you think about going to school here?"

"What?" The boy looked up at her in surprise.

"You said you wanted to go to a school like Ouran just like I did, and they have an elementary school."

"What about your job Haruhi?" her father asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I know I can find something; I do have lots of connections here dad. We could be closer to you."

"Well of course I want that dear. Just as long as it's what's best for you two."

Haruhi smiled. "I think it is." She looked down at Kazue. "What do you think?"

The boy paused and pondered it for a minute before answering. "I would miss my friends at school," he admitted "But I really want to go to Ouran. And I really want to live closer to Grandpa. But...will you be happy Momma?" he asked. His big, beautiful eyes looked worriedly up at her.

"My sweet boy." She smiled, wrapping him in a hug. "As long as I have you, that's all that I need."

Kazue smiled and hugged her back tightly. Ranka watched approvingly at his daughter. She had been through so much, but she was strong, just like her mother, and he was proud of the woman and mother that his little girl had become.

"I will talk with Tamaki and Kyoya tomorrow and see what they can do to help me find a good job here."


	11. Chapter 11: Making Plans

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Making Plans**

* * *

Kyoya sat on the edge of the bed in Sydney's hotel room quietly as he waited for her to change and finish getting ready for the dinner reservations he had arranged for the evening. He looked around the room. It was, of course, very luxurious since she had been invited here by Ouran High School as a performer

"Thanks for being willing to stop here so I could change," Sydney said, drawing his attention over to the closed bathroom door, behind which she was getting ready.

"It's not a problem," he said simply with a shrug, turning his attention to a piece of artwork on the wall that he began to mindlessly study as he continued. "I still don't see why you didn't just stay at my place though. I have extra rooms and you know I respect your space and your standards." To be honest Kyoya had been a little hurt when she turned down the offer, but he was trying not to take it personally. Sydney was very different from any girl he had dated, and he loved that about her. But it also was a source of frustration at times when he struggled to understand her, especially when it came to their relationship and his importance to her.

He knew she loved him. She was always very good about making that clear to him, especially all the little things she would do to let him know that she was thinking of him even where they were thousands of miles apart. But there were also times that he felt like she was keeping him at arm's length. Admitting she loved him was one thing, but when it came to things like visits back and forth, or weekend vacations she was very particular about the arrangements. He knew that this was because of her standards, and that didn't bother him much. Of course he wanted more, he too was in love with her after all, but he respected what she wanted and never wished to step over those boundaries she set so strictly. Despite how many times she told him it wasn't true, it was hard for him not to wonder, when things like this came up, if she even trusted him at all. He worried that she didn't believe he would let her keep those boundaries if she got too close to him.

He felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out to see a text from an unknown number. Puzzled, he opened it up then smiled slightly as he realized it was Haruhi. So she hadn't gotten rid of his number after all. And what was more, she was reaching out to him asking for help in finding a job because her and Kazue had decided to move back home and she was planning on enrolling Kazue in Ouran this upcoming school year.

"I know you do. But the hotel was already paid for and it's just easier that way," Sydney replied. "I know you are always respectful and that had nothing to do with it." She frowned when he didn't answer and stepped out of the bathroom as she was finishing combing her hair, worried she had upset him. "You're not upset about that, are you?"

He looked up from his phone. "What? No," he replied, putting it back in his pocket. He would answer her later when he wasn't with Sydney. "Sorry I got a text from Haruhi that distracted me. Apparently she has decided to move back here and enroll Kazue in Ouran and was asking for help finding a job to support him."

He stood up, taking a few steps over to her as he took her in. Her hair was down straight and her makeup was simple showing off her natural beauty, which he loved. Tonight she wore a simple, cap sleeve, scarlet dress with a square neckline and the hem coming down just below her knees. He felt that she was truly the definition of beauty in simplicity. "And I only mentioned the hotel because I thought it would have been more practical to stay at my place since you spend most of your freetime there anyway." He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close to him. "You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled and blushed as she looked up at him. "Thank you," she replied. "And I am very happy to hear about Haruhi. I know everyone will be so excited."

Kyoya nodded in agreement as he leaned down, sweeping her hair back over her shoulder gently before softly kissing her neck a few times. "Yes, they will. Speaking of jobs," he pulled back slightly to look down into her eyes. "Have you given anymore thought to that teaching job here?"

Sydney bit her lip slightly as she looked up at him. Kyoya had presented her with the job opportunity when he came to visit her in the states a few weeks ago. It was a fabulous job - a great opportunity. And of course she would be living in the same city as Kyoya, not having to go weeks between visits with long plane rides and jet lag, but…

"You're hesitant," he said, stepping back to look down at her, keeping his hands on her waist. "Why?"

"It's just...that's a big change for me. You know I struggle with things like that. Just the thought of it makes me anxious. It's really far away from my family, and…" She looked down before looking back up into his eyes. "I want to be closer to you, I really do. And it's an amazing job, I know, but I...I'm scared. This is a big deal for me."

Kyoya gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

He was trying so hard to be understanding with her; of course he knew how big of deal this was. He was, in fact, asking her to move to a whole new country, which was, like she said, far away from her family with whom she was very close to, and part of a completely new environment. But it was hard for him when she was so hesitant. He wanted her to be closer. He wanted to be able to have a normal relationship that wouldn't have to revolve around business trips and vacation times. He wanted to have their relationship take the next step and he just didn't see how he could make that happen when she lived so far away.

He sighed, placing his hand that had brushed her cheek to gently rest on her neck. "Just please promise me that you are really considering it. I, of course, do understand that it would be a big adjustment for you, but the job offer is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Sydney; don't throw it away because of insecurities. You'll have me here to help you adjust. And it's not like you haven't been here enough times for it to be such unfamiliar territory, right?"

Sydney frowned slightly, chewing on her lip as her chest tightened. "I promise, I really am thinking about it Kyoya."

He watched her, his dark eyes piercing into her own soft brown ones, before he let a small, gentle smile show. "Good." He leaned forward and captured her lips. She sighed contentedly, putting her hand softly on his chest and standing on her tiptoes just slightly to better return the tender touch. After a minute he pulled away and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now let's go to dinner before we are late for our reservation."

Sydney nodded with a soft smile as she let him take her hand and lead her to the car waiting outside the hotel lobby below.

* * *

Haruhi sighed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her eyes that were starting to hurt from staring at the screen of Kyoya's laptop for long. Kyoya and Tamaki had arrived at her hotel room bright and early this morning to help Haruhi get started in the process of finding a job. Tamaki had insisted that, along with providing a scholarship for Kazue to Ouran as a child of an alumni, that he would help her pay for living expenses, but she refused. It was far too much already that he was willingly giving so much for Kazue's schooling; she was determined to provide the rest on her own.

She was extremely grateful though that both of them had come, especially Kyoya. Everyone knew that Kyoya wasn't a morning person, and from how late it was when he had responded to her text last night to tell her he would come by in the morning, she knew he probably hadn't gotten very much sleep.

Tamaki on the other hand was as bright and chipper as ever, but since he couldn't do much to help her out right now, like Kyoya could, he had ended up sitting on the floor playing a videogame with Kazue. She couldn't help but smile softly as she watched the two of them. Sometimes she swore that Tamaki was more animated and childish than her eight year old when it came to the silly game. But they seemed to get along so great. Like everyone else is the club he had accepted Kazue with open arms and it warmed her heart. They seemed to be having so much fun playing such a simple game and she was happy that her son would have more male role model figures in his life with this move.

"Are you finished updating this?" Kyoya asked, drawing her attention back to him.

She looked over, watching him as he took a sip of his coffee. "Oh yes..." She slid the laptop back over to him to review her updated resume. He took another sip before setting the mug back down and adjusting his glasses as he looked over it.

It only took him a few minutes to read through it and make a few minor corrections. "Looks good," he said. "I will save this and round up everything else I need, then I will send these out to the contacts that I have gathered. With all the letters of recommendation you will have from us, you should easily get many offers to chose from to find employment, in a relatively short time period."

"Thank you so much, Kyoya." She smiled, before her attention was turned back to Tamaki as he complained loudly.

"What!? Why is he going after me? NOOooooo!" The screen flashed red indicating he had lost. Tamaki pouted and Kazue just laughed.

"You can't just press whatever button you want, if you don't press the right combination they will come after you, Suoh-senpai."

Haruhi smiled softly again before looking back at Kyoya, who was typing away at his computer. "Do you mind if I step away and go take a shower real quick?" She was tired and had already been sitting here going over things for two hours, and she really needed to wash up and wake herself up.

Kyoya just nodded without looking away from what he was working on. "Of course not. We will keep an eye on Kazue; do you want us to order breakfast? I'm sure you and Kazue are probably getting hungry."

"Sure Kyoya, thanks." She put her hand on his shoulder gently before going into the bathroom and shutting the door. Kyoya looked up and watched her leave before he returned to what he had been previously doing.

* * *

Tamaki looked over as he heard Haruhi get up, thanking Kyoya before placing her hand gently on his shoulder. He couldn't deny he got a pang of jealousy watching that. He knew that he needed to control that. Haruhi got upset when he got overworked about things, but sometimes it was so hard not to when it involved her. He watched her go into the bathroom with a sigh.

"Suoh-senpai?" Kazue asked, turning Tamaki's attention back to the boy still holding the controller. His blue eyes watched him with a calculating expression. "You like my mother still, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Tamaki looked down at the controler in his own hands with a soft smile. "You're pretty smart for your age, Kazue."

Kazue just nodded. "My mother calls me observant. And it seems pretty obvious. The two of you dated before my mom left here, right? I saw the picture of the two of you in her photo album. She has pictures of all of you, but most of them are with you. She said you were her boyfriend?"

Tamaki perked up like a delighted puppy at the sound of that. "She called me that?"

"Yeah?..." Kazue replied confused, but Tamaki just smiled.

"Yes." He looked back at the screen. "I still like your mother very much."

Kazue nodded. He knew that meant that this guy was possibly his father. He had mixed feelings about that. Tamaki Suoh was really nice and friendly, but he seemed a little hyper sometimes. But honestly, at this point, Kazue just really wanted some answers. He wanted to know who his father was and he knew that it was one of the guys who used to be in the Host Club with his mother. Especially now that they were living here close to them, he felt he had a chance to have his father in his life. But sometimes that thought kind of scared him too. It had always been just him and his mom; what would finding out who his father is do to that relationship?

Despite all his worries, his curiosity couldn't be contained. He had made the decision that when his mother asked him what he wanted for his birthday he was going to ask to have a paternity test done so that he could know who his real father was. He just hoped it wouldn't upset her too much.

Tamaki and Kazue played another few rounds of the game before the breakfast arrived via room service and the two joined Kyoya at the table to eat. Haruhi came out a minute later, drying off the ends of her hair with a small white towel. She was wearing a fitted, pastel pink shirt with lace accents under the bodice with a pair of white, jean capris. Her damp hair laying in lazy waves around her made her look like an angel, and tamaki couldn't help but stare for a moment.

"It smells good." She smiled, setting the towel on a chair by the bathroom before going over and sitting between Kyoya and Tamaki. The smell of her melon shampoo wafted over Tamaki and it was intoxicating. "Thank you for ordering, Kyoya."

"No problem," he said, his eyes still on his computer as he answered, and Haruhi started to dish herself a plate.

Blinking, Tamaki broke his gaze away from the beautiful woman sitting next to him and tried to think of something to talk about to distract him from the fantasies playing in his mind. "So Kazue, since you and your mom are moving down here, did you want to have your birthday party on your birthday?"

"I guess so," he said, shoving an extra large piece of his waffle into his mouth. "It doesn't have to be on the exact date."

"Kazue," Haruhi chastised gently. "Don't talk with your mouth full. But I do agree it's better to have it closer to his brithday. Today is the last day of the reunion and we are heading back to Karuizawa to get everything sorted out and pack and such. We won't be back till next weekend and that will be a busy week for us, since we'll be trying to get settled."

"Then we will do it the weekend after!" Tamaki said joyfully, as he gracefully cut his own waffle and placed it in his mouth. He chewed with a soft smile. "Do you have any friends you want to invite, Kazue?"

"But Karuizawa is two hours away." Kazue said confused. "My friends couldn't come."

"Well if you want them to come I can pay for it," Tamaki said simply, as if he was offering to buy an extra piece of candy. Haruhi shook her head.

"Tamaki, that's too much for you to be spending. And that's a long trip for most of his friends to make. But if you would like Kazue you can invite Ichiro and his family. Does that sound good?"

Kazue nodded enthusiastically at the idea of inviting his best friend to this party that he knew was going to be very fancy. "Yes, momma."

"That's fine then. I'll get Arai's address so we can send them an invitation, but we will talk to them when we return tomorrow."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow and Tamaki looked over, also surprised, remembering that name. "Arai? Your friend from middle school?" Tamaki asked.

"Yes," Haruhi replied. "It's not that odd Tamaki, he lives is Karuizawa with his wife and kids. Ichiro, his oldest, and Kazue have been best friends for years."

"I see," Tamaki brightened. "Then we definitely need to invite them! I will arrange everything. They can come for the whole weekend if they would like!" Haruhi sighed. It was going to be a pain to keep him reined in during this planning process. But she was also happy because Kazue definitely deserved this and she was not about to deny him any of it - for now at least. Eventually, she knew she would have to put a limit on how much her friends would be allowed to spoil him.


	12. Chapter 12: A Midsummer's Night Ball

****Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club****

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: A Midsummer's Night Ball**

* * *

Kazue sat on the edge of the bed with a bored expression on his face as his mother obsessively tried to fix his hair. "Mom…" he complained, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger. "No matter how much you comb it, it's not going to stay down. You need to go finish getting ready." He tried to swat her hand away. "Mom!"

"Okay, okay…" she sighed, stepping back and examining him as he fixed his glasses once more. Perhaps she needed advice on how to style Kazue's hair, since it seemed to refuse to stay down. Slightly disheveled hair aside, she was content with his outfit. He wore a pair of neat, tan slacks. Tucked into them neatly was a crisp, new, white button up shirt with a soft green tie, all underneath a grey sweater. She smiled softly, kneeling in front of him and brushing the front of his sweater to straighten it up. "Why do you have to get so big, so fast?" she asked, putting her hand on his cheek gently. "You're not my little boy anymore, I don't like it. Stop growing."

"Mom," he complained, pushing her hand away again, but he couldn't hide the hint of the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. "I'm going to read my book while you finish getting ready." He hopped off the bed, going over to his bed and pulling out the book.

Haruhi chuckled and went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. She had done her makeup - simple and natural to bring out her good features - and her hair was pulled up in a loose knot of large curls, with strands of curls hanging down and a few strands around her face, framing her face along with her bangs.

Turning around, she faced the dress that was hanging behind her: a beautiful, lavender ball gown. Kaoru had dropped it off that afternoon insisting that she wear it for the ball tonight. She tried to refuse, but, as always, she was unsuccessful.

After carefully putting it on, so as to not mess up her hair or makeup, she turned around and examined herself in the full length mirror. The dress had a straight neckline and three small, delicate, silver chains over and down the shoulders as a replacement for straps. The soft material hugged her form gently down to her hips before falling loosely around her legs. The hem of the dress had a unique and modern cut, coming up to just above her left knee and slanting down along the front and coming down to the mid calf of her right leg. The edge of the hem was sewn in an extra-silky, gentle frill that gave the material the illusion of petals blowing in the wind.

It really was stunning! Such beautifully made and with fine materials. Exactly what she would expect from the Hitachiin brand.

Going back over to the vanity, she put a dab of perfume on. As the smell filled her nose she paused, looking down at the old glass bottle. It had been a long time since she has worn it. The label read, in a fancy cursive lettering, " _Baiser Rose Lilas"._ Tamaki had told her it meant Lilac Rose Kiss and it was a limited edition he had found at a little boutique he had gone to with his mother while visiting her. It has been a birthday present for her her last year at Ouran academy.

She hadn't really thought about the significance of where she had gotten it until the smell brought back the memories. She wondered if perhaps it wasn't a good idea to wear it? What would Tamaki think? She didn't want anyone to read too much into it. Then she shook her head. It had been ten years, she was being ridiculous. Why would he even make the connection. Even when she had worn it before it was rare because she knew how expensive it must have been, so she always saved it for the most important occasions. Which was why this was the first time she had worn it in the last ten years.

Gently setting the bottle back on the counter she went back out into the room, grabbing a pair of simple, silver, heeled sandles and sitting on the bed next to her son to put them on. Kazue looked up from his book, fixing his glasses and smiling a little. "You look really pretty, mom."

"Thanks." She smiled back at her son, reaching out gently and trying one last time to fix a few of his rebellious strands of hair. But once again to no avail.

"Are we going now?" He asked. He stood up when Haruhi nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi stood up as well. Tonight was the last event of the reunion, then her and Kazue would be heading home to pack and get ready to move back here. It was going to be so strange coming back to this life with her friends from Ouran. She was ready, but it was still terrifying.

Sakura sat uncomfortably, playing with one of the frills of the dark, sea foam colored dress she wore as Shizuko tugged and pinned her hair at the same time Julienne was applying makeup. Hana smiled softly, humming as she somehow managed to keep all four kids on the bed, patiently waiting for them to finish without ruining their nice clothes.

How did she get here again?...

… " _Are you going to the ball tonight Sakura?" Suoh asked suddenly, after she had been introduced to him and the situation about how her and Hikaru had met had been explained to him._

 _Sakura blinked in surprise. "No...I'm supposed to be working as a server there but…" She looked down at her ankle. There was no way that she would be able to work with this injury._

" _What?" Suoh asked, surprised. "You aren't going to be Hikaru's date?" With this the group's attention turned to Hikaru. Hikaru simply shrugged._

" _I would be happy to go with her." He smiled another one of his charming smiles that made her blush. But she couldn't accept. She didn't belong here, she couldn't get further involved with these people, no matter how much Hikaru had made her feel at ease around them._

" _No, thank you though." She said softly. "I have imposed enough on you all. Plus, I can't dance with this gimp ankle. Also," she looked down shyly, "I wouldn't have anything appropriate to wear to an event like that."_

" _I have many dresses you could chose from and borrow for the evening." Julienne piped in._

 _Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably. Hikaru put his hand gently on her back causing her to look up at him. "That's enough guys," he said flatly, before guiding her away from the group so they could talk alone. "Sorry, they are pushy sometimes."_

" _It's okay," she replied softly as they stopped in the shade of a large tree and Hikaru turned to face her, the breeze blowing gently. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear._

" _Sakura," he said, causing her to look up at him once again. "You don't need to feel any obligations about going to the ball. But I meant what I said, I would be happy to go with you. I have enjoyed talking with you this afternoon. Though I'm sorry that you got hurt I am really glad that I had to opportunity to meet you."_

 _Sakura blushed deeply, looking away and not sure what to say. He couldn't really be serious, could he? Did he still feel bad about her getting hurt? Did he think that this afternoon wasn't enough? She didn't know what other explanation there could be. Someone like him would never seriously be interested in her. "Hikaru, I…"_

" _I would be really happy if you decided to come though," he added before she could decline again._

 _Looking up into his amber eyes she felt her heart began to race. "A..Alright..." She found herself saying the words without thinking because she was still lost in his gaze. The corner of his lips pulled up and he smiled. …_

… This was such a horrible idea...Why had she agreed to this?

Just then both Julienne and Shizuko stepped back. "All finished, Love," Julienne said with a smile. "You look so beautiful!"

Sakura didn't respond to the compliment as she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress came down only a few inches below her knees, the skirt of the dress full of layers of ruffles. The bodice itself was fitted simply with cap sleeves and a curved neckline. She wore a pair of simple ivory flats and her hair was curled in loose, silky curls, a few pieces pinned up with little jeweled clips that matched her dress. She smoothed her hands over her dress nervously.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

Honey peaked his head into the room. "Are you ladies ready?" he asked before smiling brightly and stepping into the room fully. "You all look so beautiful!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"Me too, daddy?" Ruri asked, her big eyes staring up at Honey as she swished her hips in a twirling motion to make her pink dress spin out around her legs.

Then his five-year-old came up, standing in front of her younger sister to gain her father's attention and causing the three-year-old to pout. "What about me, daddy? Am I beautiful in my dress?" She spun around to show off her dress that matched her sisters, but was a soft yellow color.

Honey smiled, kneeling down on one knee in front of them and gently guiding both girls so that they were both equally in his sights. "You two princesses are going to be the most beautiful of all the other girls at the ball." He leaned over kissed the top of each of the girls' heads.

Sakura smiled softly as she watched him. It was really touching to see the way that he was with his children. The unfortunate experiences that she had had with people of wealth because of her job had left her with a less than good view on how they were. She had never seen them as family focused or kind-hearted people. But this group of friends was starting to make her see that perhaps not all rich people were as stuck up and unbearable as she had always believed.

"We should get going." Mori said as he stepped in behind Honey, going over to stand next to his wife and take his wiggly son from her so that she could fix her shawl and necklace that the child had managed to disarray.

"Yes!" Honey chimed in excitedly, picking up Ruri as he did and taking Mika's hand. "Kou-chan and Hika-chan are waiting outside for us."

Sakura suddenly felt very nervous again. Just thinking of Hikaru waiting outside for her, as her date, made her heart race. What was wrong with her? She was letting herself get too caught up in his charm. She knew better. This time in his world was temporary, soon she was going to go back to her shabby, little, dorm room where she had to share a bathroom with three other girls, eating cheap convenience store meals, and commuting in overcrowded subways to get to work and school. She still was a nobody, no matter how much Hikaru made her feel like she was someone special. She had to keep a clear head to see through the illusion.

She followed behind the rest of the group as they walked out of the room. She could see Kaoru and Hikaru leaning against the wall talking. When they heard the group they looked over. Kaoru immediately lit up seeing his wife and went over wrapping his arms around her and kissing her softly, not seeming to care that everyone else was watching them. "You are a goddess," he praised, gently stroking her cheek as he took her in once again.

Sakura once again felt very uncomfortable. She really was surrounded by beautiful women. She was plain as it was, but standing next to them she felt like she must be an eyesore. As Kaoru had stated, Julienne looked absolutely stunning, an obvious model. Every asset of her figure was accented by the long and slim, golden silk dress. Shizuko was in a black dress that fit snugly to her body, down to her hips with off-the-shoulder, long sleeves of lace. And Hana was wearing a sky blue, strapless ball gown with tulle for the skirt, and a pink petals sewn into the fabric to make it look as if it was cherry blossoms falling through the sky. How could she even try to feel pretty surrounded by so many beautiful people?

While lost in this train of thought she hadn't noticed Hikaru come up to her until he put his hand gently on her arm. She jumped, startled, as she looked up at him. He was wearing a black suit and a light blue tie. Everything on him looked extremely well-tailored and expensive. The whole train of thought that had been distracting her disappeared as she looked at him, blushing slightly. Why did she have to blush so easily around him, she wondered, this wasn't like her at all. Yet she just couldn't help it.

"You look lovely tonight," he said, in a voice so smooth it was like silk. His fingers ghosted down her arm so that his hand could find hers, and once he did he gently lifted her hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. Her blush depended. _Who even does things like this anymore? What century am I in?_ More and more she was starting to think this was some long, strange dream. Perhaps she had hit her head when she fell the other day and now was in some coma-induced dream revolving around Hikaru because he was the last face that she had seen. _That has to be it._

"Shall we go?" he asked, offering her his arm to escort her out. _A very strange dream._ She thought to herself again as she allowed him to guide her outside to the waiting limo.

* * *

Kyoya watched Tamaki pacing back and forth in front of him, unimpressed by his nervous ranting. "Tamaki," he said with a sigh as he pushed his glasses up gently and straightened his tie. "The ball has only just started. Just because Haruhi isn't here yet doesn't mean that she isn't coming or that she changed her mind."

"Are you sure though?" Tamaki asked, almost frantic. Kyoya sighed again. Tamaki was exasperating. "What if she thought about it more and decided that she liked living the way she was before, without me in her life?" He paused for a split second before quickly correcting himself. "Us in her life."

"Tamaki, calm down. You are overthinking everything. You were there this morning; she sent out her resume and is looking for jobs. She was looking at apartments and already started the application for Kazue to go to Ouran."

Tamaki began to go off on another ridiculous, hypothetical reason why Haruhi might leave again, but Kyoya stopped listening as he saw the subject of Tamaki's delusion walk in with her hand gently on her son's back. Kazue looked unsure as his eyes moved slowly along the scene before him, clearly not used to things like this.

Slowly fixing his glasses and nervously tugging at the bottom of his sweater, he looked up at his mother for reassurance before stepping forward with her into the crowd. Kyoya watched him with intense calculation. Statistically, it was unlikely but not impossible, and from the moment he had found out about Kazue being born he had wondered. It had taken all his self control to not go after Haruhi and demand that she find out who Kazue's father was, because he needed to know so badly.

Time had made it easier to accept standing back and letting the chips fall where they may, but the curiosity still got to him. If Kazue was his son, he wanted to know so that he could be a father to him. Even though the dynamics would be different, he still wanted to do the right thing and he wanted Kazue to know that he was important to his father.

These thoughts has been plaguing his mind so much as the reunion was approaching, and he knew Haruhi might decide to attend. Because of this he knew that he needed to talk to Sydney about it, she had a right to know what happened and be told the situation before coming face-to-face with it. He was hoping, through all this, that Haruhi would finally take the steps to find out who Kazue's father really was…

... _Sydney was quietly sitting on the edge of his bed, watching him as he ran his fingers through his hair, facing her in a chair. He had just finished explaining everything that had happened between him and Haruhi nine years ago and the situation about Kazue whom he had never met. Looking up at her, he fixed his glasses with his heart racing, but he remained calm on the outside. Would he lose her because of this? Sydney was so understanding and accepting of things, but he knew that the things he had done were against her own faith and he wasn't sure if the burden of dating someone with a past like that would finally be too much for her. How could he expect her to accept his mistakes? He might have a son...a eight year old son._

 _But in his heart, all he wanted was for her to understand and tell him that she still loved him no matter what the truth about Kazue might be. But her silence wasn't giving him much hope of that._

 _He opened his mouth to speak again, explain and beg her to understand if it came to that, but he was stopped when he saw a soft smile on her face as she reached up, fixing a few strands of his hair that were still askew from him raking his fingers through it. "Don't stress, Kyoya," she said in a soft voice._

" _I'm not stressed," he said evenly, though it was a lie. And she saw through it, like she always did. "I hope you understand that this doesn't change anything between us. And even if she does come I still may never find out. But…"_

" _If you do find out he is your son, you want to be his father," She finished. "And you should. Boys need their father in their life. I understand that. And Kyoya," she reached out, putting her hand on his chest. "I also don't think you are a bad person because this happened. For one thing, that was nine years ago. But also I came into this relationship knowing the type of relationships you had been in before; it doesn't scare me away."_

 _He felt relief wash over him as he put his hand over hers which still rested on his chest. "Sydney...I love you." With his other hand he reached up, touching her cheek gently. How did he get so lucky to deserve someone as wonderful and understanding as her? One thing was for sure, he was never letting her go. Before now he had known he didn't want to lose her but now more than ever he knew that he couldn't live without her._

 _Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers in a soft, loving kiss, hoping that the overwhelming gratitude and love that he felt for her could be felt by his kiss…_

 _..._ Grabbing Tamaki by the shoulders, he interrupted his rant, turning him around abruptly so that he was facing the opposite direction just as Haruhi and Kazue came into view. Tamaki's mood did a complete 180 and he held up both of his arms in excitement.

"Haruhi!" He exclaimed, quickly going over to embrace her, but she put her hand out to stop him.

"Please don't smother me here, Tamaki-senpai."

Tamaki pouted slightly, but obeyed like an obedient puppy, putting his hands behind his back and smiling like a fool. He was a fool, a fool who had always been in love with that charming woman who seemed to win the hearts of those around her without even trying.


	13. Chapter 13: May I Have this Dance?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club***

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: May I Have this Dance?**

* * *

"Please don't smother me here, Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi said as she put her hand up to prevent him from doing just that. With a slight pout Tamaki agreed, putting his hands behind his back to help him resist the strong urge he was feeling to go against her wishes and hug her.

To keep himself distracted he turned his attention to Kazue, who was standing next to Haruhi, looking around to examine the people surrounding him. He looked calm, but it also seemed like he was very unsure about this new and unfamiliar situation.

"Good evening, Kazue," Tamaki said with a smile, reaching out and putting his hand on the boy's head. Kazue reacted by pulling his head away from Tamaki, not wanting to be treated like a kid, but this only caused Tamaki's hand to ruffle up the boy's hair.

"Oh, Tamaki!" Haruhi exclaimed, almost exasperated, but Tamaki was slightly distracted from her tone by the happiness he felt that she hadn't used sempai, but his given name.

Haruhi went to kneel down in front of her son to fix his hair, but Tamaki placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Haruhi, wait. Stop," he said before kneeling down on one knee himself in front of the boy. "You're wearing such a pretty dress, you wouldn't want to ruin it. I'll fix it."

Reaching up he carefully rearranged Kazue's hair, reversing the mess he had made before and smiling proudly at his work before standing up.

"There. Back to normal."

Haruhi stared at him before shaking her head, but was not able to hold back a smile. Tamaki would really make a good father…she breathed and paused for a moment before she took another breath in. It was a happy thought, but at the same time one that made her very sad. Once again she felt the weight of her decision crush her heart.

"Thank you, Suoh-senpai," Kazue said shyly, adjusting his glasses again. Haruhi smiled softly at her son and put her hand on his back gently. He wasn't used to big crowds, and though he was excited about the move and starting school at Ouran it was going to take a lot of adjusting for him before he started to feel more comfortable.

"You are very welcome, my young friend." Tamaki beamed at him before turning his attention back to Haruhi. "You look so beautiful tonight Haruhi: shining brighter than the stars in the sky."

Haruhi just shook her head with a amused smiled "You can't seem to help yourself Senpai, can you?" Then she noticed that he wore a pout and understood why. "Tamaki," she added and saw him immediately perk back up. "You don't have to try so hard, alright?"

"Of course. But I did mean it." He reached out, taking her hand. "Haruhi, would you do me the pleasure of being my partner for this song?" he asked right as the song that had been playing ended and the orchestra started a waltz.

"I..." She hesitated,looking down at Kazue. "Tamaki, I can't just leave Kazue here by himself, he..."

"I'm okay, mom," he said quickly, interrupting her and causing Tamaki to look over at him as well. "Kyoya is right over there, I can go stay with him. Or he can tell me where Hana and Honey are and I can stay with them too."

Haruhi opened her mouth to protest, but before she could Kazue hugged her quickly then moved around Tamaki, going over to Kyoya. Haruhi watched in bewilderment, but her attention was soon drawn back to Tamaki when he cleared his throat and smiled at her.

"Shall we?"

Haruhi nodded, looking back one more time to make sure Kazue was alright before allowing Tamaki to lead her onto the dance floor.

It was very easy to fall into a natural pace with Tamaki's dancing. He was very good at leading, after all. It made Haruhi feel like it had only been a few months since she had last danced, rather than years. At first it felt a little awkward being this close to Tamaki again. But Tamaki didn't waste any time before starting a conversation. "You haven't forgotten how to dance," he observed with a smile.

"No. You guys drilled it into my head because of all the balls that the club hosted."

"Yes." He smiled with a sparkling, reminiscent look in his eyes. "Sometimes I miss those days."

"Me too," Haruhi admitted.

Tamaki spun her around gently before bring her back to him, holding her a little closer than before.

"Tamaki..." She was about to protest when Tamaki smiled and closed his eyes.

"Baiser Rose Lilas," he said in a perfect French accent that sent shivers down her spine. He opened his eyes once again, looking down at her. "You kept it." He seemed sincerely pleased and touched that, though Haruhi had walked out of their lives and hadn't seemed to look back, she hadn't thrown out everything to do with him.

"I wasn't going to throw something like that out, Tamaki. It was a gift from you." …

...Haruhi sighed heavily when she opened the door to her apartment, her arms weighed down with bags from the market. It had been a long day. She had spent all morning cleaning the apartment, then she went to the market to take advantage of some sales they had going on.

She set the bags down and began to put them away as she thought about her list of things that she had to get done before the end of the day. Most of the list consisted of homework and studying. She only had a few months left at Ouran Academy and she really needed to focus on studying for her final exams, as well as preparing to take the entrance exam for the university she was hoping to go to in the fall.

There were just so many things going on right now.

After she finished putting the food away, she picked up the basket of laundry from her and her father's room as she reviewed the list once again in her mind. Something was nagging at her. What was she forgetting?

But no matter how many times she reviewed the list in her mind nothing else came to mind. By the time she had finished washing all the clothes and hung them up to dry she decided that it must have been her imagination. She was under a lot of stress right now and was overthinking everything.

So, shaking it off, she sat down in the front room pulling out her bag and began to study.

Later that night, after dinner was finished, the dishes washed, and the laundry put away, she sat back down to do one last assignment for the night before she would head to bed. The apartment was quiet, her father was gone working the night shift and wouldn't be back for a few hours. It was lightly raining outside and thankfully there was no thunder or lighting to accompany the rain.

Getting up, she decided to open up the window and let in the cool air from outside. Looking out over the wet city she saw a plane descending through the clouds in the distance, heading towards the airport.

For the first time today her mind wondered to Tamaki.

He had just returned four days ago with his father from a trip to France to see his mother. They had been gone for two and a half weeks. Unfortunately, she had only really had a chance to see him once since then: the day after he got back. He had been so excited to see her and tell her all about the trip and how well everything went. He had even expressed his hopes that perhaps his mother would move back to Japan now that she had been accepted by his grandmother and how he felt that his father seemed to still feel very strongly about her.

She was really happy for him, but honestly she had been so preoccupied at the time thinking about all the things that she had to do the rest of the week that she knew that she wasn't showing her excitement for him like she should have. But Tamaki was understanding. He simply hugged her and told her he would take her home so she could get some rest and that he would see her soon.

Going back over to her desk, she sat down once again, pulling out her notebook. Tamaki could be so self-absorbed sometimes, yet he always knew when she was stressed and could do a complete 180 to become the most selfless person she knew. She smiled to herself, she really did love that about him.

Pulling out her pen she wrote her name and the date at the top of the paper then froze. April eighth…

Today is the eighth of April!

She shot up so quick that she nearly fell on her face as she tried to untangle her legs underneath her. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she chastised herself as she ran to her room to grab her jacket and shoes, having to turn back to go and shut the window and grab her keys before leaving again and bolting out the door

How could she have forgotten this? No wonder something had been nagging her all day! She had forgotten about Tamaki's birthday.

The rain continued to fall as she ran, but she didn't bother to turn around and get an umbrella, she just didn't have time for that. She made a quick stop at one of the local stores that had just been closing and she thanked them for being kind enough to stay open just a little longer for her to go buy him a bag of commoners' candy that he had become obsessed with after one of their visits to the store together after the new year.

Clutching the bag tightly in her hand, she ran back out again.

By the time she managed to make it to the Suoh estate she was drenched through her coat and her wet hair was dripping in her face. It was just after nine o'clock and she hoped that Tamaki would still be up as she ran up to the front door, nearly slipping on the stone steps as she knocked.

She was relieved when Shima opened the door. Giving the girl a strange look. "Miss Fuijioka," she said in her normal, calm but firm, voice. "Why is it that you are at our doorstep at this hour, dripping wet?"

"I was hoping Tamaki was still awake," Haruhi said meekly, looking down. "I'm sorry for coming so late."

Shima watched her quietly for a minute before stepping back to open the door wider. "Please remove your shoes and coat. I will go get a towel" Then she turned to leave. Haruhi thanked her as she stepped inside and removed her shoes and coat careful to hang it up. By that point Shima had returned with a towel and handed it to Haruhi. "Master Tamaki is still awake. He is in his room."

Then Shima turned, leaving again and allowing Haruhi to go up by herself since she had been here enough that she knew her way around. Nervously Haruhi wrapped the towel around herself and made her way upstairs. She could see the pale yellow light under the door of Tamaki's room, confirming that he was in fact awake.

She lifted her fist to knock, but hesitated just before contact, letting her fist hang there for a moment as she squeezed the bag from the convenience store tightly. How could she have forgotten this? She was such a horrible friend. Tamaki had gone all out for her birthday - whether she had wanted him to or not - he had bought her a really nice gift that was thought out and had taken her out on a date, and she couldn't even remember to send him a simple Happy Birthday through text. Why was she even her trying to make up for doing something so unforgivable?

Pressing her lips together, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She heard some shuffling around before footsteps were audible and then the door opened. Tamaki looked down at her and blinked in surprise. "Haruhi?"

She bowed her head, her wet hair falling to cover her face, and shut her eyes tightly to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall as she held out the bag from the convenience store in front of her for him. "Happy birthday, Tamaki."

When he didn't move or say anything after a minute Haruhi looked up. Tamaki was still staring at h er, but when their eyes met he smiled. "A present for me?" He took the bag excitedly before looking back down at her. "Haruhi, why are you all wet? Were you out in the rain without an umbrella?"

She nodded, pushing her wet hair out of her face. Tamaki quickly guided her into his room, shutting the door and setting the bag on the bed without looking at it, as he went over to his dresser.

"You are going to catch a cold. Haruhi, what were you thinking going out like that?" He came and guided her over, sitting her on the edge of the bed as he knelt in front of her, moving the towel up to help dry her hair.

"I needed to bring you your present…" she said softly, looking down and letting him dry her hair. But at these words he stopped working. He leaned down and pulled the corner of the towel up to look at her face.

"You came all the way here, in the rain, without an umbrella, at this time of night, just to bring me a present and wish me a happy birthday?"

"Yes."

He smiled brightly and hugged her tightly, causing her to fall back on the bed. "Tamaki!" she exclaimed surprisedly, but he only continued to hold her tightly. "You are going to get yourself all wet."

"That's okay." He pulled back just enough so that he could rest his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed and he was still smiling. "This is the best birthday present ever. Thank you Haruhi."

She blinked at him. "Tamaki…"

He opened his eyes, his violet orbs staring down into hers. "I know how busy you have been and I am really happy that you made time for my birthday." Leaning down again, he pressed his lips softly against hers.

It wasn't the first kiss they had shared, that had happened in the middle of last year. But this kiss, this kiss was much different than any of their other kisses. Each movement was so sincere, so filled with love that she felt overwhelmed and like she might be engulfed by it. And she honestly did not mind in the slightest.

Kissing back, she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck with her fingers sliding their way into his hair. Tamaki moaned softly, holding her closer.

Haruhi couldn't tell if it was 5 minutes or 30 before he finally pulled back and looked down at her. Smiling softly, he leaned down again and kissed her forehead.

"I got your shirt all wet," she whispered softly, noticing how the light blue button-up he had been wearing was damp and starting to stick to him.

"I told you, it's okay." He leaned back, helping her sit back up again. His eyes traveled over to the bag he had set on the bed earlier and then lit up. "Can I open my present now?" He sat down next to her, grabbing the bag and putting it on his lap.

"Well, it's not really wrapped...sorry about that."

"That's fine." He excitedly reached in the bag and pulled out the candy.

"They got a new flavor...I thought you might like it…" She felt self-conscious suddenly. It was a cheap, and not very thought out present, and Tamaki deserved something better.

"Thank you!" He turned and hugged her tightly, rubbing his cheek against hers like a cat. "I am very excited to try these out!" Haruhi opened her mouth to apologize for it being something so small and simple, but he quickly stood up before she could, going back over to his dresser to pull something out. "I didn't have a chance to give you the souvenir that I bought you while I was in France when I saw you a few days ago."

He went back over, sitting next to her and handing her a small white box with a red ribbon tied neatly around it. She looked at him, confused, before looking down at the box. "Tamaki, why are you giving me this? It's your birthday…"

"I know." He waved his hand as if this was nothing to worry about. "But I didn't get a chance to give it to you when I got back and I wanted to give it to you now. I found it when I was at a boutique with my mother and thought of you."

Looking back down, she slowly untied the ribbon, letting it fall gently down before pulling the top off. Inside was a beautiful glass bottle with a light pink liquid inside. The label on front was in elegant, cursive French.

"Baiser Rose Lilas". He read in his rich French accent, the one that always gave her chills. "Lilac Rose Kiss. I thought you would really like the smell of this and it would complement you beautifully."

Haruhi gingerly pulled the bottle out of the box. "Tamaki, this looks really expensive…"

He shrugged the comment off as he always did when she tried to tell him something was too much. "I wanted to get it for you, I wasn't worried about the price. Will you try it out?"

Nodding, she opened up the cap and sprayed lightly on her wrist before rubbing both wrists together. The scent reached her before she even had a chance to put the bottle back into the box. It was exquisite. A light floral scent, with a hint of a musky, earthy smell to it. She loved it.

When she looked back at Tamaki it was obvious that he loved it too as he closed his eyes, leaning closer to her. "I was right." He smiled. "The scent is even more alluring when it's on you."

Her heart raced as she stared up into his eyes. Leaning down, the tips of his fingers brushed her cheek gently as they ghosted across her skin, moving till his hand was lightly cupping her cheek. He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. Even the gentle touch of the kiss filled her stomach with butterflies, and she instinctively reached out, putting her hand on his chest before clutching the material of his shirt in her fingers.

Feeling the tug on his shirt encouraged him to turn his body more, so that he could reach out with his other hand, placing it around her waist and pulling her closer, with a soft moan in the back of his throat. Her senses heightened as she leaned forward into the kiss, her lips parted slightly as she felt the tip of his tongue test the waters and run along her bottom lip before slowly dipping it in.

He had a slightly salty taste, like he always did. She imagined he had eaten ramen recently, it was, in fact, one of his favorites. Slowly she let her tongue venture over, against his as he moved both his arms tightly around her waist and twisted over until she felt her back hit the soft comforter and the warm welcoming weight of his body pressing down against hers...

...Once again Tamaki seemed truly overjoyed by this, and Haruhi felt guilt creep in once again, knowing what he must have thought after she left. "Tamaki," She said his name softly, looking up into his crystal clear, violet eyes. "I didn't leave because of you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"What?" He looked down at her, confused by her statement.

"I need you to know that I didn't leave because you did something wrong. I left because I messed up." She looked down, trusting him to be able to lead her as they continued to dance.

"I don't understand," Tamaki said innocently, genuinely confused by her statement. "If I didn't do anything wrong, why did you leave?"

She took a deep breath, continuing to look down. "Tamaki, I couldn't face the consequences of the mistakes I made. I was ashamed that I had let things get out of hand and so messy. When I found out I was pregnant with Kazue I didn't know what to do. How was I going to explain that to the three of you? So...I thought it would be easier for everyone..."

At that comment Tamaki stopped dancing, which caused Haruhi to look up at him to find his violet orbs staring down at her. "Haruhi…" He spoke softly, sounding almost hurt. "You thought it was best to just walk out of our lives? And not let Kazue have a father, and deny his father the chance to raise him for the last nine years?"

Her heart felt like it had been slammed with a hammer. She knew that it had been a bad choice. It had been selfish and cruel to do so, to both her son and her friends…especially whichever one of them was Kazue's father. He had missed out on a lot of Kazue's life.

When she didn't answer Tamaki slowly guided her to start dancing again, both of them staying silent for a while before Tamaki spoke up again. "Haruhi, you can't change the past. I'm not trying to say this to make you feel bad. I just never knew...all this time I was blaming myself."

"I didn't mean for that to happen," she whispered.

"I know," he said, his voice soft and gentle, the way he always spoke to her when she was stressed or upset, the voice he had when he was calm and focused on being there for her. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek softly before whispering. "It's okay Haruhi."


End file.
